She's So High
by heyitsdezzi
Summary: Morgana Pendragon was, in a word, perfection. Or, rather, a goddess. Or, in a couple of words, she was absolutely, positively, irrevocably unattainable to a servant such as her.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello everyone! This is one of my first attempts at fanfiction, so it's probably horrible, but oh well. I've had this idea in my mind for a while, and figured I might as well try it out. Let me know if it's any good? Constructive criticism is always appreciated!**

 **Credit to Tal Bachman for 'She's So High' and the creators of Merlin for the characters.**

* * *

 _She's blood, flesh, and bone_

 _No tucks or silicone_

 _She's touch, smell, sight, taste and sound_

 _But somehow I can't believe_

 _That anything should happen_

 _I know where I belong_

 _And nothing's gonna happen_

 _Yeah, yeah_

* * *

Morgana Pendragon was, in a word, perfection. Or, rather, a goddess. Or, in a couple of words, she was absolutely, positively, irrevocably unattainable to one such as herself.

There were a couple of reasons why there was zero hope for any kind of future with Morgana Pendragon. First, and perhaps the most obvious, was that it was unseemly for a woman to have those sort of feelings for another woman (no matter how strong and pure those feelings may be). Second, she was just a servant, and Morgana Pendragon was royalty, the King's ward- therefore, her head would be chopped off if the King heard of any sort of relationship between him and his precious ward. Third, as previously mentioned, Morgana Pendragon was a goddess. Men drooled all over her consistently- what kind of chance would she have? Fourth, and most importantly, the raven-haired beauty probably had no idea that a servant named Rose even existed.

And despite all of these very obvious and good reasons, the light-haired servant still found herself slightly (or perhaps _pathetically_ was a better word) in love with the noble.

She supposed it all started on her first day as a servant in Camelot, roughly four years ago. One of the maids who had served the Pendragons the longest, a tight-lipped, cruel old hag, had been elected to show her around the castle.

They'd been walking the grounds and were passing the knights' training area when a flash of long, raven hair in the corner of her eye caught her attention. Rose had stopped to look at the peculiar sight, stunned to see a dark-haired woman whirling a sword towards the prince of Camelot himself.

"Who's she?" Rose had asked her tour guide of sorts, impressed with the woman's graceful movements. Her hazel eyes had followed the sword as it came clanging down onto Prince Arthur's own weapon. The unnamed woman dodged the blonde man's next attack, and, as soon as his side was left open, struck him, sending the prince crashing to the ground.

Rose hadn't been able to help the laughter that bubbled up, despite the glares of the elder maid besides her. Soon the older woman whacked her upside the head, hissing, "That is the King's ward Lady Morgana, and you would be right to remember your place."

Rose had swallowed back her laughter and continued on the tour, glancing over her shoulder to get one last look at the beautiful swordswoman.

That had been the first flicker of attraction, or at least appreciation, anyway, and it honestly had just went downhill from there. The next couple of times Rose saw the woman had been in the halls of the castle, or during the King's feasts. She'd always found herself staring, which was honestly pathetic- enough people stared at the Lady Morgana, and she'd always been taught as a child that staring was rude. So, she tried not to stare, but her attempts were in vain, of course. Something about the woman just managed to attract everyone in the room's attention- especially Rose's, apparently.

Maybe it was the fact that the Lady Morgana consistently stood up to the king. Which Rose found quite impressive, considering the fact that she found the king to be quite menacing at times. Maybe it was the fact that the Lady Morgana wasn't afraid to stand up for what she believed in just in general. Maybe it was her consistent compassion and kindness to her subjects. Maybe it was the way she teased Prince Arthur and friends. Maybe it was the twinkling eyes and gigantic smile- _well, now you're just getting off-topic._

Anyway, the point _was_ , Morgana Pendragon was lovely, but any hope of Rose having any sort of relationship with the noble was simply preposterous and naive. For goodness's sake, she hadn't even spoken to the woman before, and she was almost positive that she wouldn't be able to choke out a single intelligible sentence if forced to speak to her.

Xxx

The day had been a tough, exhausting one.

The woman Rose typically looked after, Lady Percival, was being particularly horrid today. She was nosy and always was gossiping about the other nobles, with the occasional (read: frequent) snarky comment about the servants, and today she had apparently decided to turn her sights on her own maid.

"I heard that that serving girl- oh, you know, the mousy-looking one. Well, apparently she's got herself a paramour. Young fellow, short and rather troll-like- no prince, of course. Lady Clara says they're engaged. When are you getting engaged, dear? You're not getting any younger, after all. Sort of sad you're not married, really... I was, after all, by your age. You must be horribly depressed, hmm? _I'd_ be, since it's quite embarrassing, frankly. I'd be absolutely mortified. Well, don't go falling on any swords now, you hear me young lady? No need to be dramatic, you'll be married soon enough."

Although literally every fiber of her being was offended by what Lady Percival had just said, Rose forced herself to bite her tongue and give the woman a tight smile though it killed her.

The rest of the day didn't go even remotely better. As a matter of fact, it got even _worse_. The king, prince, and Lady Morgana were having lunch, and the servant who usually filled their goblets was sick, so Rose had been asked to fill in. As soon as she entered the room, she felt her throat grow tight and her stomach flip. She felt awful about this- she wasn't supposed to be this close to the Lady Morgana, she just wasn't. She had a sinking suspicion that this would end rather badly.

And end badly it would. She had gotten distracted whilst pouring wine for Prince Arthur- Lady Morgana had been wiping her mouth with a napkin, and Rose found herself unable to look away. Which, of course, resulted in her missing the cup and pouring the wine into Prince Arthur's lap. Her face had turned bright red as the King shouted at her, only for the Lady Morgana to swiftly jump in.

"Please, my Lord, it was simply a mistake," the dark-haired woman reasoned, glancing at Rose, who felt uncomfortable under her piercing emerald gaze. She didn't think Lady Morgana had ever looked at her before, and she didn't know whether to burst into tears or jump up and down in excitement.

King Uther hesitated before nodding, dismissing her. Rose curtsied and scrambled out of the room, thoroughly embarrassed and with her cheeks red hot.

The rest of her day consisted of repairing Lady Percival's old dresses, a tedious task that was one of her least favorites.

After the noble released her for the night, she made a spur-of-the-moment decision- something that was especially uncharacteristic of her. She decided that she might as well head to the tavern, and relieve some of her stress via mead.

All she'd intended to do was have enough to drink that she'd get giggly- you know, lose herself for a bit, get her mind off of her terrible day. But apparently, giggly-drunk her was nonexistent. Instead, terrible-ideas-drunk her reared its ugly, ugly head.

"You know, George," she had slurred, eyes going wide with realization as she rested a hand on the shoulder of a currently passed out George. "I'm young, right? I should be doing stupid things, living life, but I'm not. I've always done what's rational, what's _right_ , but look where that's got me! Boring old life with a boring old job. The only light in my life, well-"

And suddenly an idea- a terrible, idiotic, possibly life-altering idea- hit her mead-addled brain.

And that was how she found herself stumbling into the castle, all the way to the door which she knew was the door to the Lady Morgana's chambers. With a huge, dopey grin on her face, she rapped on the woman's door once, twice, three times.


	2. Chapter 2

The door didn't open right away. Rose raised her hand to knock again, but her knuckles never reached the wood.

The door swung open, revealing Lady Morgana, her dark brow furrowing when she saw who had knocked on her door. Rose was actually surprised at the woman's state- she looked wide awake, not at all the appearance of one who had just been abruptly woken up.

Her fuzzy mind dismissed the thoughts quickly, however. Instead, with her eyes gleaming and that same grin on her face, she slurred, "Morgana Pendragon. Heh."

The lady looked obviously surprised at the lack of formal language, and also at the slur in the servant's voice.

"I'm sorry," the King's ward began slowly, eyes narrowing as if trying to remember something. "But who are you?" She paused, and then a flash of recognition passed over her face. A small smile curled on her lips, "Aren't you the servant who spilled the wine in Arthur's lap today?"

Rose laughed, the sound a bit too high-pitched. The blonde woman shrugged with a single shoulder and admitted, "Yeah, yeah, that's me. Clumsy Rose, right? Not clumsy though. Just distracted. You're just so-" Her eyes wide, she looked like she was going to continue, but Morgana interrupted.

"What exactly are you doing here, in the middle of the night? Is there something you need?" Morgana asked, still confused.

Rose released another laugh, this one much more natural-sounding, though still slurred with drunkenness. "Yes! 're a sharp one." She giggled a bit, pointing at Morgana with her grin widening.

The noble seemed to notice the servant's drunkenness, as she questioned with a frown, "Have you been drinking?" The woman's emerald eyes glanced over Rose's shoulder, wondering where the guards were. Just in case- the serving girl didn't look very menacing, after all.

Rose chuckled and shrugged again. "Got me again! Well, just liquid courage, you know. To allow me to admit my undying love for you, because I wouldn't be able to do it sober, not at all. A little shy, so I needed a nudging, you know?" She realized she was rambling when she looked up and saw pure shock on the Lady Morgana's face. "Let the cat out of the bag too abruptly. Damn," she sighed, lightly slapping her forehead with a hand. "Should have eased into it! Well, mead, you've failed me. Best to forget this ever happened, I suppose. Night, my lady."

She turned to leave with a dramatic sigh when she was stopped by Morgana's voice.

"Wait a second." Rose turned to blink at the King's ward expectantly, watching as the gears turned in the woman's head. "You're... In love with me?" Morgana said slowly.

"Yep," Rose replied almost proudly, popping the 'p'. She bobbed her head up and down, stopping only when she began to feel horribly dizzy. Stumbling forward a bit, Morgana's hand shot forward to grab her arm in order to stabilize her.

"You're very drunk," Morgana muttered, and Rose felt her piercing gaze on her face. "You should... You should go back to your home, Rose," the woman commanded firmly.

Rose started to nod again, which succeeded only in making her even more dizzy and nauseous. _Please don't throw up, please don't throw up... That'd just be_ embarrassing. She glanced up and shot Morgana a quick grin, the raven-haired woman's face appearing a bit blurry, and strangely far away.

Morgana must have spotted the strange look on Rose's face, as she asked with concern clear in her voice, "Are you alright?"

Her voice sounded distant and ringing, and Rose only had time to think, _Well, that's odd,_ before the world faded to black.

Xxx

Rose jerked awake what seemed like only seconds later. The first thing she noticed was the piercing headache and the nausea. Next, she noticed that she was definitely not in her room.

This one was much more comfortable, plush- the room of a noble, she realized with a sickening lurch. She was in a bed in a very comfortable room... She mentally groaned. What had she gotten herself into last night?

She thought back to what had happened. She'd had a horrible day, and when Lady Percival had released her for the night, she'd gone to the tavern to relieve some stress. She must have gotten terribly drunk- that would explain the headache and nausea.

But why was she in a noble's bedroom, and more importantly, why was she in a noble's _bed_? She was still fully clothed, so that was a relief. Carefully, she rolled over, dreading to see who was next to her.

Rose released a breath of relief when she saw no one lying beside her. She slowly sat up, wincing at the sharp pain in her skull. Her eyes scanning the room, she froze in horror when her gaze fell on something- or, rather, some _one_ \- she hadn't seen before. Two someones, actually.

The Lady Morgana herself, sitting at a table looking into a mirror, and another woman standing behind her, running a brush through Morgana's long, dark hair. They were engaged in quiet conversation, but stopped when they released that Rose was awake. "Did you sleep well?" Morgana asked, turning her head to look at Rose with a smile and an unreadable expression.

Rose felt the memories rush back. She'd gotten drunk, and had apparently decided it was a fantastic idea to proclaim her love for the Lady Morgana. She must've passed out drunk, and the King's ward took her in. Let her sleep in her own bed, for goodness's sake.

Oh, no, oh no _oh no_. She'd made a horrible mistake- no, it was worse than that. She'd made an absolute fool of herself in front of _the Lady Morgana_. She felt her cheeks grow hot, and she was positive she must now perfectly resemble a tomato.

Now both Morgana and who Rose assumed was her servant were looking at her expectantly, and she found herself completely unable to form a logical sentence. Instead she stammered out, "I- I- drunk- fool- I just- sorry, I- thank you for- oh, no." It wasn't very pretty, needless to say.

Rose jumped out of the gigantic, plush bed, ignoring the splitting pain in her head. The wave of nausea due to the sudden movement made her stumble, however, and Lady Morgana got up from her chair as if to go help steady her again. Rose shook her head, and mumbled out a final apology before she rushed for the door.

Xxx

The rest of the day was filled with painful embarrassment. She was late for Lady Percival, and found the woman in a more horrible mood in usual. She endured the noble's shrill scolding and apologized profusely, saying that she had simply overslept, and that it would never happen again. She didn't even have to lie, not really.

Rose saw Lady Morgana in the hall twice that day- luckily, she managed to avoid any kind of confrontation by using a special technique of hers. That is, turning around abruptly and walking away as fast as she possibly could without arising suspicion. It was an old but sure tactic that never failed.

Unfortunately, her method couldn't be used in all situations. That night, King Uther held a feast for all of the members of the court, and because Lady Percival was attending, so was Rose.

As soon as she walked through the doors, her eyes immediately flew to where she knew the King's ward would be sitting. Old habits die hard, she supposed.

Rose was shocked when her gaze met Morgana's. Quickly averting her eyes, she felt her cheeks heat up and she followed Lady Percival to her seat. Rose was relieved, at least, that she didn't have to serve at this feast- if she had to go anywhere near Morgana again, she just knew she'd make even a bigger fool of herself. If that was even possible at this point.

So the servant stood back, watching as the knights, lords, ladies, and other nobles interacted, all laughing merrily as they ate and conversed. Rose enjoyed attending these feasts, if only to see how people of the higher class interacted.

It made her sad occasionally, knowing that she would never live a life as luxurious as theirs, but her life wasn't _that_ bad- she _was_ in Camelot after all. Her family lived in a small village about a day's ride from here, and her younger sister had been terribly jealous when had left home. "Promise me you'll tell me all about Prince Arthur when you next visit," the then-11-year-old had begged, harboring a not-so-secret crush on the prince. Rose had laughed and promised, of course. She missed her family, but she enjoyed Camelot, though Lady Percival was quite irritating most of the time.

When Rose was positive that the King's ward wasn't looking, she admired her as well. There was something about watching the young woman laugh and tease and interact with her fellow nobles that never failed to uplift Rose's spirits. She felt a fond smile appear on her lips.

"My name's Gwen." A voice came from Rose's left, roughly tearing her from her reverie. Her head whipping to the side to look at the owner of the voice, she felt her heart drop when she realized who it was. It was Morgana's servant, the one who had been in the room this morning when she had woken up and had awkwardly ran out in a flurry of unintelligible blabber.

 _Just my luck,_ Rose thought inwardly, as her eyes widened and she swallowed thickly. "U-um- hi?" she said weakly, unable to think of anything intelligent to say, per usual.

Gwen smiled softly at her, and Rose felt herself relax slightly- the curly-haired woman seemed friendly enough. "Um, my name's Rose, but... Er... You probably know that." Rose laughed uncomfortably.

Gwen nodded, and hesitated for a moment before asking gently, "How are you feeling? You seemed to be sick this morning, when you left. The Lady Morgana was worried."

Rose almost laughed hysterically at that. Worried? Morgana Pendragon? About her? She never thought she'd hear those words strung together. "Oh, um- I'm fine, thanks. I just had a headache and a bit of nausea, but, I'm good now. I was just, um-" She trailed off and laughed nervously.

Gwen nodded, smiling sympathetically. "Lady Morgana told me." Her face crumpled slightly. "It's probably none of my business, but... Why did you visit her last night? I asked, but Lady Morgana wouldn't say."

Rose was stunned. Morgana hadn't said anything? She had thought that the noble would've told everybody by now. (Well, she didn't _really_ think that the woman would do that- she'd like to think that Morgana was kinder than that.) She opened and closed her mouth in a fairly accurate imitation of a fish, unable to come up with a lie so quickly.

She didn't have to, however, as Gwen immediately shook her head. "No, no, it's none of my business, I'm sorry for asking. But, I'm glad you're feeling better- I'm sure the Lady Morgana will be happy to hear that, as well." Rose swallowed and nodded, offering the maid a brief smile before the girl walked away.

Rose watched as Gwen returned to her lady's side, and then as the servant spoke in the woman's ear. She couldn't make out what her fellow serving girl was saying, but she didn't have to guess for very long. After a few moments Morgana looked up and met Rose's gaze.


	3. Chapter 3

Rose completely avoided Morgana's gaze for the rest of feast. Although there was an annoying voice in the back of her mind, practically _begging_ her to look at the King's ward ( _"Oh, come on, you know you want to! Actually, who wouldn't want to? But, come on. Just one glance. One_ simple _little_ _glance._ _"_ ), she resisted the overwhelming urge. She had the feeling someone was watching her- quite the unsettling sensation, actually- and she was fairly certain she knew just who it was that was looking at her.

She supposed that most _normal_ people would be ecstatic for find the apparent love of their lives looking at them, but all Rose could feel was gnawing discomfort in the pit of her stomach. Perhaps it had something to due with the fact that she had made an absolute fool of herself in front of Morgana, and now the woman was staring at her, most likely thinking, _What is wrong with her?_ But, then again, perhaps not, perhaps not.

All Rose wanted was for the feast to be over with already. Sure, watching the nobles interact had been fun and interesting at first, but she'd had yet another long day of work, and, most importantly, total embarrassment, and she was ready to go home. _Home_. She released a dreamy sigh at the thought. She would put a few logs on the fire, curl up under the warmest blanket she could find, and drift off into a peaceful sleep, free of embarrassment and thoughts of _her_.

A girl can dream, can't she? Rose knew that the feast would last another hour at the very least, and then Lady Percival would want her to help her into her sleeping clothes. She'd have to finish laundering Lady Percival's dresses, return them to Lady Percival's room, and then- _then_ \- she could finally go home.

The hour dragged on for what seemed like forever. _Those nobles certainly know how to eat_ , Rose thought begrudgingly, watching as servants exchanged empty platters for ones heaped with all different assortments of meats and cheeses. _And drink_ , she added, watching as servants danced around, filling goblets with wine the color of blood.

Finally, however, the piles of food coming in slowed, and all that was left was empty plates and reasonably drunk nobles. The uproarious laughter continued even as the people trickled out of the hall, Lady Percival being one of the last. _Of course,_ Rose thought bitterly.

The noble curtsied to the Pendragon family. "Thank you for this lovely feast, my Lord," she thanked, as Rose hovered behind her, determined not to look at Morgana.

 _No, don't you do it. Don't you do it. Rose, you know you're going to regret it, why torture yourself?_ Rose settled on simply looking between Prince Arthur and King Uther, swallowing nervously when she felt that same piercing pair of eyes fall on her again. _Don't. You. Do. It._ Her complete lack of self-control proved evident as she finally gave into the urge, her eyes sliding from the King to his ward. As expected, she felt herself freeze in horror as her hazel eyes locked with Morgana Pendragon's green ones. The woman's raven hair was pulled to one side, and her usually pale cheeks were flushed, most likely due to the wine. It was only after her lips tugged upward into an amused smile after a few seconds that Rose regained control of herself and ripped her gaze away.

 _Well, it's official. If she didn't think you were insane before, she definitely thinks it now. Or, you know, at the very least an idiot. You've got that going for you. How can you possibly be so-_

Rose was broken from the start of her inner monologue when she heard her name being said.

"-Rose, my servant, will bring them to you later tonight. Won't you, Rose?' Lady Percival turned and looked at her expectantly.

She felt three other pairs of eyes on her as well, and as she felt her cheeks turn red, all she could muster was a stupid, "What?" As soon as the word escaped her mouth, she cursed herself over and over. _'What'?_ 'What' _?! Oh, goodness, you've outdone yourself this time. Congratulations, not only have you made a fool of yourself in front of the Lady Morgana, but in front of both the prince_ and _the king. For the second time, might I add. They must think you're completely incompetent._

It was obvious that Lady Percival thought this at the very least, because she rolled her eyes and released a dramatic sigh. "I _said_ ," she began impatiently, her eyes narrowing as she shot daggers at Rose, "that later tonight, you can bring the Lady Morgana the hair pins I borrowed from her. Or are you incapable of carrying out such a task? Do I need to find another servant who can successfully run simple errands?"

Rose felt her throat tighten, and as she glanced over at Morgana one last time, she choked out, "No, I- I can do it."

"Good," Lady Percival said sharply, turning away from her servant and back to the king. "I apologize for the distraction, my Lord, I'm sure you are eager to retire. Thank you again for the feast." The older woman curtsied one last time and turned. Lady Percival exited the room, Rose hurriedly following her.

Xxx

Rose cursed her horrible luck. _What're the odds?_ she thought miserably, as she carefully pulled Morgana's hair pins from Lady Percival's graying hair. _Any lady of castle she could've borrowed hair pins from, but who does she choose? The Lady Morgana. Of course._ If she didn't know that the very idea was preposterous, she might think that the whole thing was planned. Any lady of the castle, and it was Morgana. Then again, as Rose looked down at the pins, she could see why Lady Percival would choose these- they were made of gold, with blood-red gems set at the tops. Truly beautiful, and worthy of a queen, even.

"Now," Lady Percival started, looking- or, rather, _glaring_ \- through the mirror at the servant behind her. "Don't you dare make a fool of me when you return these pins, do you hear me, girl? I was embarrassed enough tonight at the feast, when you squawked out ' _What_ ' like that. Terribly embarrassed you made me feel, and in front of the _King_! What will he think of me, now that he believes my handmaiden is a completely simpleton? Oh, I don't even want to know! None of that, you hear? Return the pins and don't delay. After that you can go home, I suppose. You're of no use to me when you're so tired."

Used to Lady Percival's unkind words, Rose released a practically inaudible sigh. "Thank you, milady," Rose replied softly, pulling the last of the pins out from Lady Percival's hair. Although Rose was less than thrilled to have to return Morgana's pins, at least she got to go home afterward. It was as if she could hear her bed calling to her. Sure, it was a bit lumpy, and the blankets were thin, but it was hers, and that was all that mattered.

She swallowed down the nasty taste in her mouth, closing her eyes briefly before stepping out the door.

Lady Morgana's chambers weren't terribly far from Lady Percival's, so it didn't take her very long until she was standing outside the noble's door. Her knuckles hovered inches away from the wood, Rose unable to bring herself to knock. After all, the last time she'd been here, she'd been horribly drunk, had admitted her love to Morgana Pendragon, and had promptly passed out right in front of the woman. She had no desire to relive that experience again.

Rose had half a mind to set the pins down on the ground, knock quickly on the door, and run, but she mentally scoffed at the thought. _Are you that much of coward?_ she scolded herself. Her heart pounding and her stomach in knots, she forced herself to knock on the door. Her hand dropped limply to her side, the other clutching the pins as tightly as she could without pricking herself.

It only took a few seconds before she heard footsteps behind the door. Soon the the door swung open, and Morgana Pendragon in all her glory appeared from behind it. She smiled at her, and Rose reminded herself over and over, like a mantra, what she was supposed to say. _I'm here to return your hair pins. I'm here to return your hair pins. I'm here to return your hair pins._

"I'm here to return your hair pins." Rose mentally whooped and shouted for joy- _Congratulations, you didn't completely mess that up! I'm so proud of you._

Morgana nodded, a mischievous glint in her eye as she commented innocently, "Well, at least you're not here to admit your undying love for me again." The King's ward laughed at the horror-struck expression on Rose's face, and amended gently, "I'm just kidding."

The servant released a nervous laugh, her eyes falling to the pins in her hand. There were a few seconds of silence before she remembered abruptly why she was there. Her hand shooting out, Rose offered the pins to Morgana, glancing up briefly. "Your hair pins."

"Thank you, Rose," the woman said softly, taking the pins from the maid's palm. Rose couldn't believe the way her name sounded coming from Morgana's mouth. Had her name always been that beautiful-sounding, or was it just Morgana? Had to just be her, of course. Morgana hesitated for a second before looking at Rose closely, her dark brow furrowing as if trying to find the solution to a puzzle in Rose's face. "The other night... Was it true, what you said?"

Rose nearly flinched at the question, and debated on whether or not to play dumb. She could ask innocently, _"What do you mean?"_ but then again, she knew what Morgana was talking about. She knew _exactly_ what Morgana was talking about, and she'd be wasting both of their times if she dragged this conversation out any longer than it had to be. So she decided to not play stupid, but then another dilemma arose in her mind. To tell the truth, or not to tell the truth?

If she did tell Morgana the truth, that she did in fact love her, she risked many things. She risked getting her heart broken- actually, that was basically promised, though the severity of the rejection could vary. That being said, what would even be the point of admitting her feelings? Nothing could or would come of it, and besides, it'd just make things even more painfully awkward. Her old-but-sure tactic of how to avoid people in the halls worked fantastically, but as proved at the feast, it didn't work in all situations. But if she _lied_ , however, and said that it was just a drunken mistake... Well, perhaps it'd still be little uncomfortable, considering the true nature of Rose's feelings, but at least then it'd be one-sided. They could continue on with their lives as normal. Rose quickly reached a decision, even though there was a part of her that wanted to come completely clean.

"Well, um-" _Yes, Morgana, I am completely in love with you,_ "No. No, I'm not..." Rose released another awkward laugh, "You know. I was... I was very, very drunk. I don't know what came over me- I just spurted out random nonsense, I suppose. I'm really, really, _really_ sorry to have disturbed you, milady, and I appreciate your kindness."

Morgana shook her head with an unreadable expression. "No, it was no problem. Gwen told me you are feeling better, which I am very glad to hear." She paused and said with a small smile, "But, thank you for answering honestly." There was something about the way she said it, as if she knew that Rose was lying... _What are you talking about, of course she doesn't know. Stop worrying yourself for no reason._ "And thank you for the pins," she added, holding them up briefly.

Rose nodded, offering a slight smile of her own. There was a few more seconds of silence before Rose remembered what Lady Percival had said about not delaying. Besides, her warm bed was calling to her, louder now, and her whole body was aching after her long day. Rose said abruptly, "Well, good night, milady."

She curtsied and Morgana waved a hand dismissively. "Please, call me Morgana. I have enough people calling me 'milady', and believe me, it grows old quite soon," she admitted, a laugh that could be described as no less than perfect escaping from her lips.

Rose swallowed and nodded, murmuring, "Of course... Morgana." She'd said the name to herself before, but there was something about saying it out loud to the woman herself that made a smile spread across her face. "Good night."

Morgana returned the sentiment, and Rose turned to walk away, when the other woman's teasing voice called after her. "Now that we've had this conversation, Rose, you're not going to continue to run away from me in the halls, are you?"

 _Damn you, old-but-sure tactic, you've failed me!_ Rose cursed.

Her smile widening on it's own account, she turned slightly and said, slightly embarrassed, "No, of course not."


	4. Chapter 4

Assuring Morgana that Rose wouldn't run away from her in the halls was one thing, but going through with that agreement was another. It simply wasn't in Rose's nature to be that... _friendly_ in the halls with somebody such as Morgana. It felt unnatural, and completely anxiety-inducing to say the least. She wasn't a particularly unfriendly person or anything like that, she was just terrified that she was going to make a complete buffoon of herself again.

The first time that she saw Morgana in the corridors of the castle, she had to remind herself over and over again not to walk away. She had been fetching fresh sheets for Lady Percival, and when she glanced upward, there she was, practically gliding towards her like some sort of beautiful phantom. Rose had actually spun on her heel as a matter of instinct before she reminded herself, _You're supposed to be natural about this, okay?! Don't act weird. Just act as normal as possible._ So she had reluctantly turned back around, forcing her feet to move her forward and fighting the urge to duck her head.

As she passed the King's ward, she could've sworn that she saw an amused smirk on the woman's face, but Rose had elected to act like she hadn't seen her, so she could've been mistaken. The second time she saw Morgana in the halls that day, the dark-haired lady was accompanied by her maidservant- Gwen, Rose recalled her name was. When she spotted her fellow maid, Gwen smiled widely and greeted, "Good morning, Rose."

Rose shot her a quick smile and dipped her head, replying, "Good morning, Gwen..." She glanced at the other woman and nodded again, keeping her voice steady as she added, "Morgana." _Very natural-sounding, good job. Mission accomplished._ Both smiled in response, and Rose even dared to hold Morgana's gaze for a moment before she had to look away. _Getting ahead of yourself, Rose. Keep your head in the game._

The next week or so went very similarly. When they passed in the halls, they'd exchange polite nods or 'good morning's. She'd even managed to make a new friend out of Morgana's maidservant Gwen- she was a very sweet girl, and Rose found that they grew close quickly. The fact that the woman was the maidservant of Morgana was an added bonus, Rose soon realized.

It wasn't as if the King's ward was their main topic of conversation, but she definitely came up fairly often as Gwen spoke about how her day had been going. The curly-haired girl would unintentionally reveal little tidbits about Morgana that Rose savored- despite her strong feelings for the lady of the court, she had to admit that she didn't know very much about the woman. For instance, she knew that Morgana was kind and teasing, but how was Rose supposed to know what her favorite color was?

That morning was a prime example of her and Gwen's revealing conversations, as they washed their lady's clothing side-by-side. Rose had mentioned that she was exhausted due to having been made to stay late by Lady Percival, and Gwen had echoed that she was quite tired as well.

"I often stay late, after Lady Morgana has fallen asleep," Gwen explained as she scrubbed at an emerald dress. "The poor thing has terrible nightmares almost every night, and I comfort her when I can. The court physician, Gaius, prescribes her sleeping draughts, but they don't seem to work very well. She doesn't often tell me what her nightmares are about, but I can tell they're horrible. I can't even imagine."

Rose could certainly imagine. When she had first come to Camelot, her homesickness had manifested itself in her dreams. Paired with the stress she was experiencing due to her new job, it was a deadly combination. It was many a night that she woke up, terrified and drenched in sweat. Although she was still a little bit homesick, she loved living in Camelot, and the stress had mostly dissipated as she got at least partially used to Lady Percival and her behavior. Rose couldn't even remember the last time she had had a nightmare. But, from what Gwen had said, it seemed like whatever Morgana was going through was a lot more than simple stress.

The next couple of days, Rose wracked her brain for some kind of way to cheer Morgana up. She wished there was some kind of way for her to stop the nightmares completely, but she couldn't just wish them away. So, if that was impossible, she just had to find a way to comfort her. Someone who definitely wasn't Rose might go up to said person and talk to them, comfort them in person, but that was out of the question for her. It would end in disaster, she just knew it. So she needed to find something to do, or maybe something to give to Morgana... But what, though?

The answer to Rose's inner dilemma came soon enough in the form of another conversation with Gwen. Rose had been lost in her thoughts, only being pulled from them when something Gwen said caught her attention.

"-flowers outside the castle. There was a huge clump of them. They're so beautiful- Morgana's favorites, actually. I should collect some for her soon, the ones she has currently are dying. Well, anyway-"

"Where are they?" Rose interrupted abruptly. At Gwen's surprised look, Rose's cheeks turned slightly red. "Sorry," she apologized, a bit embarrassed. "The flowers. I was thinking I'd bring some to Lady Percival, I'm sure she'd love them." This was a blatant lie- Rose had no intention to bring them to Lady Percival, but she didn't want to admit that she was going to get flowers for Morgana herself. That wasn't her job, and they weren't even really friends, so Gwen was bound to ask questions. Questions that Rose didn't particularly want to answer.

Gwen smiled softly, and replied, "Yes, I'm sure she'd love them. They're right outside the front gate, to the left of it. You can't miss them, they're a light purple color."

"Thanks, I'll have to go and pick some later."

Xxx

A few hours passed, and Rose finally had a long enough break that she could go find and pick the flowers. Just as Gwen had assured, she spotted them right away. Once she had gathered all of the flowers her hands could hold, she retreated back into the castle to find a suitable vase. Once she had "borrowed" one from Lady Percival's chambers, filled it with water, and placed the flowers within, she set out on the more treacherous part of her plan.

Since she had come to the decision that she couldn't ask Gwen to give them to Morgana, and Rose obviously couldn't hand them to Morgana in person, the only option was to sneak into the Lady Morgana's chambers and place them in there. As she ran over her plan in her head, Rose couldn't help but realize how pathetic she was. _You're such a coward, you can't even hand flowers to someone? That's actually quite sad. I pity you. Myself? I pity myself._ Yes, perhaps she was a coward, but it would just be simpler this way. Less hassle, and less crippling anxiety on her part.

It was because of this that she found herself knocking hesitantly on Morgana's chamber door. She counted to ten before entering. Rose had figured that no one would be there at this time of day- it was a little past midday, and she had highly doubted that Morgana spent her whole day in her chambers. She also knew that Gwen wouldn't be there because the servant was always cleaning clothes at this time, it was her daily routine. Despite the fact that she knew all of this, Rose was still antsy as she stepped over the threshold and shut the door behind her.

Looking around for the best spot to place the vase of flowers, Rose finally spotted a small table next to Morgana's bed. Smiling a bit to herself, she walked over and carefully set the vase down in the middle, pushing and prodding to make sure it was in the exact center.

"What're you doing in here?"

Rose practically jumped out of her skin at the sound of the curious voice, nearly sending the vase crashing to the floor. She managed to save it just in time, and looked up to smile weakly at Gwen, who had emerged from one of the connecting rooms. "Oh, uh- hi, Gwen." Rose laughed nervously, tucking a strand of her light hair behind an ear. "How's it, um- I thought you were supposed to be- this isn't what it looks like," Rose stammered, turning bright red.

Gwen raised her eyebrows, a small smile appearing on her face. She nodded to the flowers, teasing, "You weren't bringing flowers for the Lady Morgana?"

Rose turned to stare at the flowers, and then looked back at Gwen, her eyes wide. "Oh, well, I mean- yeah, yeah, I was bringing flowers for her, obviously. But I mean- I was- um- I had originally picked them for Lady Percival, of course. But when I brought them to her..." Rose searched her mind for a second for a believable excuse. "She said she was allergic to them!" she blurted out. Gwen gave her a curious look, and Rose continued, "Yeah, she- she started sneezing like a mad person, and told me to take them away. I- I was just going to throw them out, but then I- I just so happened to remember, um, that they were Lady Morgana's favorites. Like you said, yeah? So I figured, um, might as well." She shrugged her shoulders as casually as she could, as if it wasn't a big deal.

Gwen laughed. "You couldn't have just asked me to bring them to her? Or given them to her yourself?"

"I didn't want to bother either of you," Rose replied gently, "I figured you had other, more important things to do, Lady Morgana as well." It was mostly the truth- close enough that it wasn't exactly a lie, anyway. "I didn't mean to intrude, I simply wanted to bring them in and then get back to Lady Percival as soon as possible." That statement, however, was completely truthful.

The curly-haired serving girl nodded understandingly. "Of course. Well, I'll make sure to let her know who brought them for her. I'm positive she'll love them. Thank you, Rose, you've been very kind."

 _Oh, great, this whole sneaky plan was for nothing! You might as well have given them to her yourself,_ Rose thought, a tad miserably. She parted her mouth slightly to ask Gwen not to tell Morgana who brought the flowers, but she soon realized that, once again, she was being needlessly silly. It was just a gesture of kindness, of friendship- nothing more. There was nothing to be worried about. "Thank _you_ , Gwen," Rose replied, smiling at her friend. "I hope Lady Morgana enjoys them. I'll see you tomorrow?" Gwen nodded, and Rose bid her farewell before getting back to her duty.

It was the next morning that Rose saw Morgana again. It was in the corridors, and Rose had shot her a brief smile per usual, however instead of simply walking past each other, Morgana stopped her with a hand. Rose glanced up, confusion clear on her face as she spotted the warm smile on the raven-haired woman's face.

"I wanted to thank you for the flowers that you brought me, Rose. They are absolutely beautiful," Morgana said earnestly, her vivid green eyes searching Rose's hazel ones.

Rose met the slightly taller woman's gaze as best she could. Swallowing nervously, and her cheeks slightly flushed, she murmured, "I- I'm glad you liked them. Well, Gwen had said that they were your favorites, and that she had meant to pick some for you, but hadn't had the chance. It- it was her idea, really. She deserves the credit."

Morgana laughed lightly, shaking her head. "Don't sell yourself short, now. Gwen assured me that it was all your idea. It doesn't matter, anyway, I just wanted to say that I truly appreciate it." Rose had no doubt that she did. She could hear the conviction in the King's ward's voice, a quality that she greatly admired in the woman.

"Oh, um, yeah. No problem. Glad they made you, you know, happy. Not that they made you especially happy, of course... I'm sure you're happy enough as if," Rose said awkwardly, laughing uncomfortably. _Act normal, woman! Don't lose your head. Wrap it up. Short and simple._ "Soooo... Bye." _Wow. Out of all the things you could have said._ Rose quickly amended, "I mean, sorry, that was rude. Not bye. Well, I'm leaving. Or, I mean! Not leaving. I'm just- wrapping up the conver- I'm not trying to be- ugh." Rose settled on an apologetic laugh, hoping that Morgana understood what she was trying- and failing- to say. When she looked up, she was shocked at the almost- dare she say it- _fond_ smile dancing on Morgana's lips. "Sorry," she mumbled, offering the woman small smile.

"Don't be," Morgana replied easily, a slightly mischievous look appearing on her face before she continued. "It's... cute. Have a good day, Rose." And then Morgana was gone, leaving Rose with her jaw swinging open as she traveled down the hallway with the people parting for her like she was some kind of goddess. Rose supposed she was. A gorgeous, fascinating, _perfect_ goddess who had just called her _cute_.

As soon as she was sure that Morgana had gone, Rose pumped her fist into the air and whooped, ignoring all the strange looks she got.


	5. Chapter 5

The last couple of days, Rose may have or may not have been spending as much time as possible out in the halls and out around the castle. She definitely wasn't passing a certain chamber door multiple times a day, wasn't lingering outside the doors of the throne room and Great Hall, wasn't taking (a rather unfair) advantage of her friendship with Gwen, or anything of the sort. Most _definitely_ not- that'd be silly, and juvenile. No, she was just trying to be efficient with her chores, and-

Okay, _fine_ , maybe she was wandering the castle grounds a little more than needed in order to increase her chances of seeing the Lady Morgana. She had no desire to necessarily talk to the woman- there were too many risks in actual conversation. Instead, she simply took comfort in catching a glance of the woman, sharing smiles and nods from a distance. _Wow. That sounds really shallow and cowardly._ It wasn't like _that_ , no, of course not. That'd be horrible. It wasn't a matter of her not _wanting_ to talk to Morgana, but instead a matter of her being able to. When Rose spoke to other people, she tended to quickly get uncomfortable and nervous, which in turn caused her to spurt out random nonsense that was often painfully embarrassing.

Rose had been this way since the day she was born, practically. She got it from her mother, who was the kindest, gentlest soul you'd ever hope to meet, but she had always been extremely anxious and twitchy, especially around strangers. Rose could distinctly remember witnessing a few of her mother's panic attacks throughout the years. Rose's father, however, had always been there to comfort his wife, and lucky for her, his calming presence had been there for her as well. Her mother was better now that she was older and didn't have to deal with any crying or screaming children running amuck, though, and Rose's own anxiety primarily manifested itself in general shyness and rambling nonsense.

Morgana definitely wasn't going to make it easy for her, however. Whenever she got close enough, she'd strike up a friendly conversation with the blonde. Just simple things, like, "How has your day been, Rose?" or "How are you, Rose?" or something caring and thoughtful and friendly like that. The servant would often just shoot out a simple answer ("Oh, um, it's been alright. I'm alright. Just fantastic, really," she'd say, even though Lady Percival had just made her re-clean the floor or something equally exhausting _)_ and Morgana would smile and respond ("I'm pleased. I hope you have a good day.") and then they'd be off, Rose wearing a huge grin for the rest of the day.

That was how the rest of the week and the next went. Brief encounters and friendly conversations, just enough to keep Rose content. The part of her that was head-over-heels for the woman wanted to spend more time with her, have conversations longer than a minute, really get to know her, but she knew she was being irrational. At least now she was (at the very least) acquaintances with the King's ward, instead of just being invisible to her.

That night, however, the King held a large feast for whatever reason. (Did the King even _need_ a reason to hold a feast, really? She supposed not- he was the king, after all, he could do whatever he pleased.) Lady Percival was extremely excited for the event, though that hardly surprised her. The older woman adored feasts, if only because she could gossip with all of the other ladies of the court and drink as much wine as she so desired. It wasn't exactly pretty when Lady Percival got drunk, though then again, Rose could hardly talk. Either way, however, she wasn't looking forward to having to deal with Lady Percival after she got inevitably drunk at the feast.

When Lady Percival and Rose got to the banquet hall, the servant was surprised to Gwen standing off the side with Morgana nowhere in sight. Parting from her lady's side as the woman took her place among her fellow nobles, Rose made her way over to her friend. Unable to control her curiosity, she asked as innocently as she could, "Where's the Lady Morgana?"

Gwen's eyes lit up, and she grinned almost proudly. "Just you wait," she chuckled. Rose's eyebrows rose slightly but she smiled anyway, taking Gwen's word for it. The two soon eased into effortless conversation, covering topics that ranged from their favorite colors to their mutual hatred of gossip.

"I just don't understand why it's any of her business how-" Rose completely stopped mid-sentence, her jaw all but dropping to the ground. There was Morgana, striding through the crowd purposefully, in a burgundy dress accentuated with gold that bared her shoulders and part of her collarbone. Her lips were curled in a smile and painted blood-red, a stark contrast to her porcelain skin, with a string of rubies around her head. She was absolutely breath-taking, and all eyes in the hall had turned to her. Every man (and Rose) wanted her, and every woman wanted to be her.

"Doesn't she look gorgeous?" Gwen said excitedly, Rose unable to tear her eyes away.

"Stunning," the light-haired servant barely choked out. Time seemed to slow as Morgana's gaze found Rose's, the King's ward's eyes narrowing slightly as her lips curled into a smirk. _Was that a seductive look? Yes, that was definitely a seductive look! No, no, it couldn't have been, she's looking that way at everyone. Stop imagining things, Rosie girl._ A small chuckle seemed to escape Morgana's lips- obviously recognizing how Rose was practically drooling- before time sped back up again, and Morgana was looking elsewhere.

Rose finally seemed to snap out of her daze, her head shaking slightly as she refocused on Gwen, who seemed to have just asked her something considering the almost expectant look on the girl's face. "I'm sorry," Rose said weakly with an apologetic smile, "Did you say something?"

Gwen raised an eyebrow and gave her a curious look. "I just asked if it seemed like Lady Morgana was looking at you." Rose swallowed nervously and released a breathy laugh, shrugging her shoulders dismissively.

"She was looking at everybody, really. Considering the fact that she definitely knows how to draw everybody's attention..." Rose looked around and noticed many of the young men flocking to Morgana's side. "Suitors, especially," Rose commented, just barely keeping the grumble out of her voice.

The dark-skinned maid laughed and nodded her head. "Lady Morgana definitely gets a lot of attention from men," she admitted. "Usually she has me shoo them away, though. She says that the majority of them are rich, stuck-up prats who she had no desire to be near, let alone marry. Besides, the King keeps her close. I think he's quite protective of her, as if she were his own daughter."

Rose nodded, noting how Morgana sat on the King's left side, the two dissolving into easy conversation. She couldn't help but grin when she saw Morgana's wide smile light up her face. Gwen must've caught her staring again, because the servant cleared her throat quietly. Rose's eyes snapped back to her friend's, and she apologized again, "Sorry, I- I just love the dress. Wish I even had a _reason_ to wear something as nice as that." It wasn't untrue- the dress was indeed very, very nice, and must have been very expensive.

Gwen murmured in agreement. As the feast went on, the two stuck close together, chatting with a few of the other serving girls. About an hour into the festivities, the Lady Morgana waltzed over to them. With a quick glance- barely even a flash of the eyes- from Morgana, the two girls Rose and Gwen had been talking to were curtsying and walking away. "Good evening," Lady Morgana greeted, exchanging a warm smile with her servant before her eyes fell on Rose.

Rose glanced between her lush lips, the gems across her forehead, the gold embroidery on her dress, anywhere but those _eyes_ , and she just barely managed to get her voice to work normally. "G-Good evening," she murmured, eyes flickering mistakenly over Morgana's. _Damn it_ _!_ Once she met the woman's green eyes, she found herself unable to look away, no matter how uncomfortable she felt and no matter how hot she felt her cheeks getting. The corners of Morgana's lips tugged upward, and Rose blurted out, "You look absolutely beautiful." _Curse your horrible lack of self-control!_ Her eyes widened to the size of plates, and her mouth parted, searching for some way to remedy what had just tumbled out of her mouth.

Morgana didn't seem unsettled by the comment, however- instead her smile grew and her eyes, still looking straight into Rose's soul it seemed, grew warm. "Thank you, I'm glad you think so," she chuckles, and that sentence catches Rose off guard. _'Glad you think so'?_ she wondered. _What's that supposed to mean?_ She thinks for a moment before mentally shaking her head. _You're reading too much into it. Of course she's glad... She didn't spend most likely hours getting herself put together like this for people to think she looked horrible, now did she?_

Rose, not knowing what to say to that, simply released a short, nervous laugh, reaching up instinctively to tuck a strand of her blonde hair to tuck behind her ear. Her eyes still unfortunately locked with the noble's, she was slightly relieved when Morgana looked away. Curious about what it was she was eyeing, Rose was surprised to find the woman's eyes following the movements of her fingers as she adjusted her hair. Feeling self-conscious, Rose's hand dropped to her side, and Morgana's gaze snapped back up to meet her. _That was odd,_ Rose thought, but she didn't have much time to dissect the interaction before Gwen was speaking.

"Have you been enjoying the feast, milady?" Gwen asked, and when Rose looked over and saw the awkward expression on the girl's face, she felt her own face grow even hotter. When she and Morgana had been having an odd, intense staring match, poor Gwen had just been standing there uncomfortably.

If the Lady Morgana had realized this too, she didn't show it, but her eyes were on her servant now. Her smile returning and her hands folded together in front of her, she nodded her head. "I have been, actually." Morgana paused for a moment before she was looking at Rose again, and said almost apologetically, "However, I'm afraid that we're short on people to serve wine. Would you mind, Rose?" With the dark-haired noble looking at her like _that_ , how could she refuse?

"O-of course, milady," Rose replied, dipping her head.

Morgana raised her eyebrows. "I thought I told you that there was no need for titles?" she teased lightly.

Rose swallowed and shrugged her shoulders inelegantly. "Well, you'll always be my Lady, so-" She released her mistake when the two women in front of her raised their eyebrows and smiled. Frozen with horror, Rose glanced between them, her eyes wide. Once she regained her ability to speak, Rose shot out, "Not my Lady!" Bringing a hand to her face, she gave a nervous laugh and shook her head. "No, that's, um- not what I meant, not at all. Not, you know, _my lady_. No, I just meant, like, you'll always be above me- because you're, you know-" She gestured widely to Morgana, and realizing that she was rambling _once again_ , she shook her head. "I should stop talking," the light-haired woman muttered.

Her eyes twinkling, Morgana laughed gently. "Don't worry about it." Glancing over Gwen's shoulder, Morgana sighed at the young men hovering nearby, their eyes locked onto the King's ward. Her gaze returning to the two maidservants, she grumbled to Rose, "You can attend to my goblet personally. God knows I'll need it." Morgana leaned over and murmured something in Gwen's ear- the dark-skinned maid nodded and walked over to the men, leaving Rose all by herself with _her_.

Gesturing for Rose to follow her, Lady Morgana strode back to her seat, nodding at the king and the prince, both talking to fellow nobles, as she sat. Pointing to a pitcher of wine set on the table, Morgana held up her empty goblet with an alluringly beautiful smirk. Swallowing nervously, Rose hoped that this feast passed quickly; however, moving closer to the woman and feeling her heart flutter as she neared her, Rose also wanted it to never end.

For the rest of the night, Rose hovered near, refilling the noble's goblet when needed. Morgana spoke little to her, besides quiet "thank you"s that made her tingle, as her attention was focused on conversing her fellow members of the court. Rose didn't mind, content to simply be near. Rose was shocked- and a little nervous- when Lady Percival came closer to speak to Morgana. Rose inched closer, curious about what they were talking about, but by the time she was close enough, Morgana was thanking the woman. When Lady Percival waltzed away to speak with someone else, Rose watched as the woman turned to speak to King Uther.

"You know, my Lord, I was thinking earlier that I believe it would do a great amount of good if I had another maidservant in my service," Morgana said conversationally, her pale fingers wrapped around her goblet as she swirled the liquid absentmindedly. _Another servant?_ Rose wondered, glancing over to where Gwen was in the process of shooing away Morgana's unwanted suitors. _Why does she need another one?_

Prince Arthur seemed to be thinking the exact same thing that she was, as he scoffed, " _Another_ servant? What in the world do you need another one for?" The King voiced his agreement, sipping wine from his jewel-encrusted goblet and looking at his ward.

Morgana tossed the prince a glare (which was returned by a simple, taunting smirk) before her eyes returned to King Uther. "My servant, Gwen, is lovely, but I fear that there's simply too much work to be done for one person. I don't wish to over-work her. Another maid to assist her in her duties would be perfect."

King Uther nodded his head. "Yes, that's fine, Morgana. I'll have someone for you in the morning. Now, may we-"

"If I may, my Lord?" Morgana interrupted. King Uther's eyebrows rose, but he nodded his head for her to go on. "Why not Rose here?" The girl in question almost choked on her own spit. _Wait..._ Me _?!_ she thought, on the verge of panicking as Morgana gestured to her. The king and prince's skeptical eyes fell on her in a matter of moments, and she couldn't move or speak even if she wanted to.

"Her?" King Uther huffed, glancing between his ward and the servant she had gestured to. "Isn't she already someone else's servant?"

Morgana shook her head. "I've already spoken to Lady Percival, just a few moments ago. I was saying how I thought I needed another maid in my service, and she offered her own. Rose came highly recommended- Lady Percival was simply _raving_ about how efficiently she worked." Rose was stunned- that was most definitely a blatant lie. Lady Percival _never_ complimented her, especially not in front of other nobles. In fact, the woman constantly ranted about how she should get a better servant than Rose. _Morgana is_ _lying to the_ king _in order to get_ me _to be her servant? Why?_ Rose had so many questions, and not so many answers.

"Fine," the king sighed, waving his hand dismissively, his eyes sharp. "This girl can work for you. No more talk about servants- we're celebrating a new peace treaty, remember, Morgana?" _Ah,_ that's _why there's a feast._

Obviously satisfied with herself, Morgana thanked the king before she looked at Rose with _those damn eyes_ and _that damn smile_. As Rose felt her body grow warm and her worries melt away, she found herself thinking, _Well, maybe this won't be that bad._


	6. Chapter 6

**I'd just like to shoot out a friendly reminder that reviews are absolutely 100% adored and appreciated! Hope you all enjoy this latest chapter~ :)**

'Won't be that _bad_?' What was she thinking? Of course it would be bad. Before, although she did have the occasional awkward exchange with the noble, at least Rose didn't have to spend her whole day around Morgana. Now, that was exactly what she had to do- it was simply a disaster waiting to happen. Rose could see it now: she'd do something painfully embarrassing, Morgana would fire her as her servant, and Rose would never be able to look at the woman ever, ever again. _Maybe that's for the best,_ Rose thought regretfully.

It was her first morning as the Lady Morgana's maid, and she found herself positively twitching with an assortment of emotions- anxiousness, excitement, dread, you name it. She couldn't believe this was happening to her. Just yesterday, she'd been ranting to Gwen about the horrible things Lady Percival had said to her and made her do, and now... Now she was going to be the servant of the literal _love of her life_. How did that even happen?

That raised the question of the year: why in the _world_ had Lady Morgana been so adamant about having Rose as her servant? Rose was far from the best one. Sure, she listened to orders, was respectful, and always got her chores done, but that was expected of her. She never went above and beyond like other servants did, though she supposed that was because of the person she had been serving. Who would want to do favors for someone who regularly called you names and insulted you right to your face? But that wasn't the only peculiar part of it- Morgana had lied to the king about her. _Lied_. To the _king_. About _her_. Crazy, right? It was simply insane!

As Rose neared the lady's chambers, she pushed away her thoughts. If she was going to get through today (and every day after that, assuming she didn't get fired) then she couldn't spend all of her time and energies dissecting and analyzing every little thing Morgana did and said. It was pointless- she was sure that Morgana had a perfectly reasonable explanation for why she had made Rose her servant. It didn't matter, anyhow, all that mattered was that she was now the King's ward's maid, and she would serve the woman to the best of her ability.

She stared at the large wooden door to Morgana's chambers for a good 20 seconds. _You can do this, Rose. Just keep it simple, and whatever you do,_ don't ramble _!_ With a deep breath, Rose rapped her knuckles smartly against the wood. It was sort of funny, how many times she had knocked on this door, when she thought about it. All rather recently, too. Weeks ago, she had been invisible to Morgana, but now... Well, things had certainly changed, hadn't they? For the better or for the worse, she wasn't quite sure yet.

"Come in!"

It was Gwen's voice. Rose stepped inside the room, closing the door behind her. She stared wide-eyed at the scene before her- Gwen brushing her lady's long, beautiful hair at the mirror, just like she had been doing when Rose had first been in this room. Her heart rate increasing, the blonde began to inwardly panic. _Was I supposed to be here earlier? I could've sworn she had said eight! Oh, great, just fantastic, I'm late on my first day. Great first impression! 'Oh, hey, look, it's my idiot servant who was late on her first day. What a mistake, hiring_ her _!'_ Rose knew she was being too hard on herself, but either way she awkwardly apologized, "I-I'm so sorry, I-I thought you said eight..."

Morgana flashed her a brief look of confusion in the mirror, but her eyes flicking to Gwen, understanding passed over her face. "No, no," she replied with a shake of her head, "I did say eight. It's our ritual, Gwen and I's, that she wake me up every morning and brushes my hair. It's been that way since I was a girl. No, Gwen will regularly be here earlier than you, you're not late."

Rose felt her release a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. _Oh, thank goodness. Escaped that one, Rosie, but stay sharp. No more misunderstandings, or she'll think you're_ _dense or something._ "Oh, alright," she chuckled nervously, glancing around the room as she awkwardly fiddled with her hands and lingered off to the side.

Obviously spotting Rose just standing there like some kind of bashful child, Morgana called over her shoulder, "When Gwen is done with my hair, she can show you around and let you know what needs to be done. For now, would you mind putting away the sheets over there?" The raven-haired woman pointed to a heap of sheets off in the corner. Rose was stunned- _'would you mind'_? Morgana was definitely very, very different from Lady Percival, who would've just ordered her to do the work. Once again, Rose found herself thinking that maybe this whole "servant to your true love" thing wasn't going to be so bad.

Xxx

It didn't take very long for Rose to put away the sheets or for Gwen to finish Morgana's hair, and soon the two servants were off doing chores side-by-side. Rose was ridiculously relieved that Gwen was the kind of person she was- friendly, kind, and sweet, the sort of person who you can't help but like. They automatically fell into easy, natural conversation, and it was only during a lull as they folded laundry that Rose decided to broach the topic that had been on her mind the whole day.

"I hope it doesn't seem like I'm trying to take your job away from you," Rose said quietly. "I know that you and Lady Morgana are very close friends, and I don't wish to interfere with that bond."

Gwen gave her such a warm, genuine smile, her hand placing itself on Rose's shoulder, that she immediately felt silly for even thinking it. "Thank you, Rose, but that's not a problem at all. I must admit that when milady first mentioned to me that she was getting another servant, I thought maybe I had been inadequate in performing my duties, but she quickly assured me otherwise." With a laugh, Gwen held up the dress she was folding to show Rose, and added teasingly, "It's nice to be able to share the work with someone else, anyway, as well as having a person to talk to when Lady Morgana isn't around."

Rose smiled and nodded, glad that Gwen didn't harbor any bitterness. Then again, Rose should've known better- she'd known Gwen long enough to know that her fellow maid was certainly not that type. Rose supposed that she'd had so much exposure to Lady Percival, the noble's paranoia regarding that sort of thing had rubbed off on her. _Gross._

Suddenly, Rose realized that this was the perfect opportunity to perhaps get some answers from Gwen regarding why she had been hired in her first place. "Did Lady Morgana mention why she wanted me, specifically, as her servant?" Gwen frowned slightly, so Rose elaborated, "I just found out last night at the feast- very suddenly, too. Lady Morgana mentioned to the king that she wanted another servant, and he said yes, but then she asked specifically for me. She said that I was very highly recommended by Lady Percival, but I know for certain that's not true. Lady Percival _never_ compliments- _complimented_ , that is- me."

Gwen's brow furrowed further as she considered the question. After a few seconds, she shook her head, her dark, curly hair bouncing. "No, sorry. All she said was that she thought you'd prove to be very useful." Rose considered this- _useful? Me?_ \- but came up with absolutely no explanations for such a cryptic response.

"Huh," was all Rose hummed as she continued with her work. "Well, thanks anyway, Gwen. Maybe she just saw how miserable I was serving Lady Percival and decided to spare me the grief." The two servants exchanged grins as they folded Morgana's clothing.

Xxx

The next couple of days went surprisingly smoothly for Rose. Though she had expected near constant awkward encounters with the Lady Morgana, Rose actually only saw the woman briefly throughout the day. In the morning, when she came to work, and at night when she left were the only times she was guaranteed to see Morgana, with perhaps a few more interactions depending on the day. Even so, Rose found that she was beginning to act at least somewhat normal around her- meaning, there was minimal blushing and rambling. And, by minimal, she meant slightly less. Very slightly. _Baby steps._

Rose was actually surprised at how busy Morgana kept. She wasn't sure what exactly she had expected Morgana to do all day; she hadn't thought that the woman spent her days lazing around, of course, but Lady Percival had always been gossiping with her fellow nobles, and Rose figured that that wasn't a hobby Morgana shared. Instead, the Lady Morgana spent time with the king, sword-fought with the prince, shopped in the marketplace, read in the library or, more often than not, was in the stables or out riding.

Gwen often accompanied Morgana on these afternoon rides, when the lady desired the company. The maidservant had told Rose about how comfortable Morgana was whilst out riding, how it was her escape, and Rose was rather glad it wasn't she who went with Morgana on these rides. She'd most likely end up being abducted by bandits or something dramatic like that, and that wasn't exactly relaxing, was it? More stressful than anything, really. Plus there was the fact that she was terrible at horse-riding just in general.

Rose was tidying Morgana's chambers, humming absentmindedly to herself, when the woman herself walked in. Curtsying briefly, and spotting Morgana wearing the clothing she usually went out riding, Rose said, "I believe Gwen is out fetching fresh sheets, if you desire her company on your ride, milady."

The dark-haired woman paused for a moment before her red lips curled in a slightly mischievous smile. "Actually, I was wondering if you would like to join me this afternoon," Morgana asked in that tone of voice that made the question sound so casual and conversational, instead absolutely terrifying. Well, terrifying for Rose, anyway- she couldn't exactly say _no_ to the _Lady Morgana_ , now could she?

"Um," Rose began awkwardly ( _So much for baby steps..._ ), "Well, um, see, I'd love to, but-" She desperately glanced around for some kind of excuse, her eyes finally falling on the wilting flowers she had gotten for Morgana to cheer her up from her nightmares. "I need to get new flowers! Very, very important. I heard, um, someone said once that flowers are the key to any woman's heart!" _Nope, that sounded wrong. Backtrack, and fast._ "That's not what I meant! All I meant was, like, flowers help you be happy, and, well- that was the whole purpose of them in first place! To bring, you know, er- happiness, and such. But these ones are dying, so you need more. It's kind of, like..." Rose licked her lips and released an awkward chuckle, "Urgent."

Morgana's emerald eyes twinkled with mirth as she gazed at the servant. "That's perfect," she said confidently, obviously satisfied with herself considering the huge grin on her face. _Wait, what?_ "You can collect flowers while we're out riding. Coming?" Morgana teased, a dark eyebrow arched. Rose's jaw practically dropped, wracking her brain for another excuse.

Unable to come up with one, she released a sigh. "Coming."

Once they reached the stables, and Rose spotted all of the horses, she felt a sickening feeling in her gut. _This_ can't _be good. Not at all, not at all..._ Morgana immediately strode over to her horse of choice- an absolutely stunning white stallion, fit for a princess, fit for a queen, even. Rose could faintly hear the woman murmuring to the large creature, her hand stroking it's neck and muzzle. Seeing how much the horse obviously meant to Lady Morgana, Rose took in a deep breath. _You can do this. Honestly, how hard can it be? You just sit on the thing and hold on. Do it for Morgana._ "So, um, what's your horse's name? I've seen you ride him before."

Morgana glanced over at her and smiled softly. "Tybalt," she replied, rubbing behind the horse's ears. "He was a present from King Uther, a few years after I came to live here. He knew how much I loved horse-riding, and also how miserable I was when I first came here. I supposed he meant to bribe me into being happy." She laughed, the noise a musical sound. Morgana shook her head as if to clear the memories from her head, and her gaze returned to Rose. She gestured to a chestnut mare behind Rose. "You'll be riding Millicent this evening. She was one I first rode, before Tybalt." Obviously spotting the still somewhat-distressed expression on her servant's face, Morgana assured teasingly, "She's very calm, don't worry. Shall we be off?" In one fluid moment, Lady Morgana was lifting herself up onto the horse before the stable boy could even move to help her.

With a small 'heh', Rose nodded her head and slowly moved over to Millicent. "Good horsie," she chuckled nervously, hesitantly touching the horse's side. Glancing over her shoulder, she made eye contact with the stable boy, and gave an awkward smile that very clearly said, _"Please help."_ Obediently moving closer, the young brunette tossed her a boyish grin that made her swallow uncomfortably. She never knew how to return these sort of actions, because she never knew how to interpret them- was he flirting? Was he just being friendly? She had absolutely no idea. Deciding to just try to be friendly and polite, she returned the smile as he helped her onto the horse.

"Just hold on to these," he instructed helpfully, pointing to the reins as if Rose were some kind of idiot and couldn't figure that out herself. _Wait... I thought you_ were _an idiot?_ She _did_ , however, know that you were supposed to hang onto the reins. She'd ridden a horse exactly three times before- when she first came to Camelot, when she visited her parents and sister, and then when she came back. She'd never _really_ gone for a ride, though- she'd gone as slow as possible during her travels, and she doubted that a skilled horse-rider such as Morgana would be very invigorated by such a snail-like pace.

"Errr- thanks," she mumbled, grabbing the reins and glancing over at Morgana, whose eyebrows were raised and whose mouth was quirked in a teasing, almost challenging smirk. Her cheeks slightly flushed but determined to prove herself, she summoned every ounce of her courage and said (trying to replicate Morgana's knack for casual speak), "Ready when you are."

Morgana's smile widened and she pressed her heels into the side of her horse, clicking her tongue to get the creature to move forward. Rose did the same, her knuckles white around the reins as she trailed behind Morgana, into the square, out of the gates of Camelot, and finally into the forest.

 _And so it begins._


	7. Chapter 7

**Another update because I was super psyched about writing this chapter, and I just couldn't help myself. Oops?**

The beginning of the ride was peaceful and quiet, as they moved slowly through the forest. The only sounds were the clop of the horses' hooves, the birdsong from up above, and the wind rustling leaves through the trees. Rose found herself thinking that she could certainly get used to this, though she supposed it wasn't the horse-riding she enjoyed so much as just the calm that came to her while immersed in nature. Due to her full-time job of being a servant, she didn't have very much time to herself to come out and take a leisurely walk. It was unfortunate, but then again, absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder.

The main reason why she was enjoying this excursion, however, was of course the fact that she was so near Lady Morgana. It was kind of nerve-wracking to think that she was out in middle of the woods alone with the woman, but all had gone smoothly so far. Rose had a good head on her shoulders, she could hold herself together for one afternoon, couldn't she? _Yes. No. Maybe?_ No matter the answer, she was perfectly content to ride alongside Morgana- it made her feel as if they were something more than just servant and master, even more than just simple friends. Just her imagination, though.

The two young women rode in silence for a while, before Morgana abruptly spoke. "When did you first come to Camelot?" She glanced over her shoulder to look at Rose briefly before her head turned back around. "I don't think I had ever seen you before that night where you came to my chambers. Or actually, a little before that, when you spilled wine in Arthur's lap." She tossed a smirk over her shoulder, her dark eyebrows slightly raised in a teasing manner.

Rose chuckled awkwardly. "I didn't make a very good first impression, did I?" She switched the reins to one hand to nervously tuck a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear. "But, um, I guess I should thank you- you know, for sticking up for me, so I didn't get fired." Imagine if she had been fired right there by the king- what would be different? Would she still have gone to Morgana's chambers in a drunken stupor? Well, she'd most likely have gotten drunk either way, but for an entirely different reason. Rose supposed she was quite lucky that things ended up as they did- with her as Morgana's servant, and now out horse riding with her.

Morgana hummed. "I forgot about that, actually. You're welcome, of course. I'm afraid the king has quite a temper- I wouldn't see you fired because of a simple mistake." She shrugged a shoulder elegantly, and Rose couldn't help but smile to herself. _Can she_ be _any more perfect? Honestly._ "But, when _did_ you first come here? Was it more recently?"

Rose released that she forgot to answer Morgana's original question, and she mentally scolded herself for getting side-tracked. "Oh, um, not really. About four years ago, I think. Actually, I-" She hesitated and licked her lips, trying to decide whether or not she should disclose the fact that she had seen Morgana sword-fighting with the prince on her first day in Camelot.

"What?"

 _Might as well just go for it._ "I actually, um, saw you. My first day in Camelot. My parents, they, um, knew some people who got me a job as a servant. An older woman, I forget her name, was showing me around the grounds, and you were, um- fighting, with Prince Arthur. I thought it was, you know, pretty impressive, I guess. Really impressive, actually, I mean, um..." Have you ever had that feeling where you could hear yourself talking, but didn't really know what you were saying or how to stop yourself? Rose felt like that often, and this was just one of those times. "I don't mean, like, _that_ impressive. It was a, er, medium level. Of impressiveness. I'm making it sound more impressive. I've said the word 'impressive' a lot, haven't I?"

Rose found that her rambling abruptly stopped when Morgana slowed to ride beside her. The dark-haired woman's eyebrows were quirked slightly and a smile was on her lips as she observed her servant. "I'm glad you find my sword-fighting at least mildly impressive," she teased lightly. There was something about the way that the noble was looking at Rose that made her squirm in her saddle. There was a small period of silence before Morgana admitted, "Even just four years seems like so long ago. Sometimes it feels like I've been in Camelot my whole life, but then I remember my life before. How different it had been."

Rose frowned slightly, wondering about what Morgana's life had been before she became the King's ward. She considered asking, but she didn't wish to pry. It wasn't her place, after all. Even so, she found herself unable to stay silent. "I'm sorry," Rose said weakly, not sure if that had been the right thing to say. Morgana glanced over at her and shrugged.

"It's not as if it's that bad here. I certainly keep busy. I've definitely met a lot of new people, many of which whose friendship I wouldn't trade for the world. Arthur, Gwen." The woman paused as if she was going to add something, but she obviously decided to stay quiet as her mouth closed and she looked away. There was another short period of silence before her gaze snapped to Rose, a mischievous smile slowing making it's way onto her face. _Oh, no- this can't be good._ "I'll race you."

Rose's eyes widened almost comically. "Horses?" she squeaked out. The question was mostly rhetorical- of course Morgana meant horses. The noble nodded and raised her eyebrows in a challenging manner. "Um," Rose started, shaking her head rapidly, "I definitely don't think that's a good idea. Not at all. I don't, um- I don't really ride horses. The only reason I really agreed to this was because _you_ asked, um-" _Why don't you just go ahead and confess your love for her again, Rose? Sober this time._ "But, yeah, I can't really ride well. At all. I'm horrible, really, I'll fall off, probably break my neck, it won't be very pretty. I'll die, honestly, I can't control the horse, and-"

"Fine," Morgana said with a shrug. Rose looked over at her, stunned that she'd give in. It wasn't very Morgana-like... As soon as Rose spotted the still-existent grin on the woman's face, her heart dropped as she thought, _Oh, no._ "We'll stop here for a moment." Both women halted their horses, Morgana sliding off the back of Tybalt with ease. Rose glanced around her nervously, not sure quite how to go forth with getting off the horse. Morgana walked over and outstretched her hand for Rose to take. "Come on, then," she teased, wiggling her fingers slightly when Rose just stared blankly at her.

 _Okay, you're going to touch Morgana. Don't freak out. Don't freak out... You're freaking out, aren't you?_ Her face bright red, Rose took Morgana's hand and allowed the woman to pull her down from the horse. Morgana's skin was smooth and cool to the touch, and Rose never wanted to let go. She did, of course, as soon as her feet touched the ground- hastily pulling her hand away and avoiding the Lady Morgana's gaze as she blushed furiously. _Of course._ "So, um," Rose mumbled, looking around. "What now, exactly?"

Morgana smirked. "Well," she began, grabbing Millicent's reins and leading the horse to a nearby tree, "You said that you can't control the horse, correct?" Rose nodded her head slowly, wondering where Morgana was going with this. The woman tied the horse's reins around the tree and mounted her own horse again, which only furthered Rose's confusion. "I've been riding horses since I was a little girl. I can certainly control a horse, now can't I?" Morgana laughed when Rose finally realized what the noble was suggesting.

"M-Milady...?" Rose said uncertainly, watching terrified as Morgana outstretched a hand.

"Come on." Morgana's eyes gleamed in the kind of way that told Rose she was determined to get her way. "If you aren't comfortable going fast, well, you might as well let me take the reins. It's my duty as a noble to protect the people of Camelot, is it not?"

"But..." Rose reached for an argument to utilize against Morgana, despite the fact that her heart was urging her to accept. "What if someone saw us?" she blurted out. "You'd certainly get in trouble. The both of us would- me especially, most likely. It's... unseemly for us to be seen together, like this. I'm a servant, and you're a noble, there's nothing that can change that." _No matter what I think or feel,_ she thought with an inward sigh.

Morgana scoffed. "No one will see us- this part of the woods, who would? Camelot patrols don't take this route, I know they don't. Come on, Rose. It'll be fun, trust me." Rose made the mistake of looking up into Morgana's gaze, and for not the first nor the last time, she cursed those bewitching eyes. _I'm going to regret this, aren't I?_

"...Alright, _fine_ ," Rose mumbled, running fingers through her hair briefly. Biting her lip, she glanced up at Morgana with that same " _Please help_ " look she had flashed the stable boy earlier. "How am I going to get up?" she eventually asked, unsure on what the best method would be. She'd never done this before, she didn't know!

"Here, grab my hand-" _Oh great, you get to touch her again. Even_ I'm _not sure if that comment was sarcastic or not..._ "-and put your foot in the stirrup. On a count of three, I'll pull you up. Lucky for you, I'm much stronger than I look." Morgana flashed her a smile and offered Rose her hand again. Swallowing nervously and wiping the sweat on her hand on her dress, Rose took her hand firmly. "One, two... Three!" Rose lifted herself upward using the stirrup and Morgana pulled her the rest of the way up.

Rose's leg swung over the side of the horse and she fell into place behind Morgana. Her hands awkwardly clutched at the side of the saddle, trying to not touch Morgana with any part of her body. _Ohmygodohmygodohmygod-_ Morgana twisted around slightly and raised her eyebrows. "Comfortable?" Rose laughed awkwardly- her face still resembling a tomato, of course- not sure what to say to that. No, she wasn't, but she wasn't about to say that. She was trying to stay as far away from Morgana as possible, mainly for her own sake- she feared she'd suffer a mental breakdown if she was forced to be in such close proximity with the woman she loved.

"Are you going to hold on, then? I don't bite, you know," Morgana teased gently with a small smirk. At Rose's lost, desperate look, Morgana rolled her eyes. "Here." Much to Rose's absolute horror, Morgana reached behind her, grabbed the servant's hands, and placed them on her waist. "Don't want you falling off and breaking your neck, as you so elegantly put it, now do we?" Rose released a nervous 'heh', the only sound that she was able to utter. _You're very, very close to her right now. Very close. Stay calm. Seriously, Rose. Just. Stay. Calm!_ "Hold on tight." Clucking her tongue, Morgana dug her heels in and leaned forward to urge the horse to move forward.

In a matter of a few seconds, Morgana had the horse breaking into a full on gallop. With a surprised squeak and too terrified to think about what she was doing, Rose wrapped her arms around Morgana's waist and hung on for dear life. Squeezing her eyes shut she gently pressed her face into Morgana's shoulder, feeling rather than hearing the woman chuckle. "Open your eyes," Morgana told her over the noise of them gliding through the forest. Rose- who _always_ did as she was told- obediently cracked open her hazel eyes. The trees whizzed by as they blazed their way through the trail, and an elated laugh escaped Morgana's lips. "Isn't it _beautiful_?" she asked breathlessly, slowly pulling Tybalt back to a walk. Rose saw Millicent up ahead, and knew that the 'race' was over.

Now that her heart had stopped pounding as much, Rose realized how close she was to the King's ward, how her arms were wrapped around the woman's waist. It felt like her brain was shutting down- her mouth swung open and she scooted backward, retracting her arms and just staring at the back of Morgana's head. The noble must've felt Rose's gaze, as she turned slightly to meet her. They were _so close_ \- Rose felt her breathing pick up, like she was going to hyperventilate, as her eyes dropped to Morgana's lips then back again.

"Morgana," she choked out finally, struggling to regain any sense of self control. "I think- I think-"

The King's ward's eyebrows raised and she murmured, "What?" Her gaze was unflinching, and it felt like those eyes were piercing into Rose's soul. _She's going to find out the truth!_ Rose thought frantically. That thought sent her body into panic mode. Scrambling off the horse a lot less gracefully than Morgana had, Rose brushed herself off and avoided Morgana's eyes.

"I think we should, um, return to the castle," Rose mumbled, walking unsteadily over to the chestnut-colored mare that she had first ridden. "I think it's, um... For the best." Summoning every ounce of strength in her body, Rose pulled herself up onto the saddle of the horse and used the reins to direct the horse in the direction she knew Camelot was. _It's for the best._

"You're right," Morgana replied, shaking her head as if clearing thoughts. "You most likely have work to finish anyway, don't you?"

Rose nodded in response, and the two women began the ride back to the castle in silence. Rose wondered what had just happened. _Just you imagining things, most likely, since you're not used to being so close in proximity to Morgana. Just a side affect of being in love with her, right?_ Rose reasoned with herself. Convincing herself that that was all that had happened, Rose continued on, eager for this now-awkward ride to be over.

Just as they were nearing the gates of Camelot, Morgana stopped. Glancing over at the woman, Rose frowned and asked, confusion in her voice, "M-Milady? What is it?"

Morgana smiled, and teased, "Didn't you promise me that you would pick me fresh flowers while we were out in the forest?" Rose remembered the original excuse she had used to try to get herself out of going horseback riding with the Lady Morgana. Shooting the woman an awkward smile, Rose nodded and dismounted her horse, slower this time so she didn't go stumbling off it like an idiot.

After a few minutes of rustling around, Rose managed to gather a rather beautiful bouquet of purple and white wildflowers. _Perfect._ Walking over to Morgana's horse, Rose offered the flowers to the woman. "Here," she said softly. _A beautiful bouquet for a beautiful woman._ "Um, they're not perfect like yo- um, they're not perfect, since I didn't really have time to pick the best ones, but I think these are okay for now. I can probably go out tomorrow morning for better ones, b-because Gwen pointed out to be your favorites near the gates... Actually, I should've just gotten those. I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking, just ripped up these flowers without thinking, I will just-"

"Rose," Morgana interrupted firmly. She took the flowers from the blonde-haired maid carefully, and after a moment's pause, leaned down and pressed a soft, chaste kiss to the servant's cheek. "They're absolutely beautiful. Thank you." Rose froze, her eyes widening and her face flushing as a matter of instinct. Her fingers reached up to brush the spot where Morgana's lips had touched her skin. _Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh. My._ God _._ Rose commanded her body to move, mounting her horse again. All the way back to the stables, Rose was inwardly freaking out. _Morgana Pendragon just kissed your cheek. You are a lucky, lucky,_ lucky _girl, Rosie._

Rose completely ignored the stable hand as he tried to help her off the horse, that same grin on his face. She had her own grin on her face- huge, pathetic, and goofy, because _Oh my GOD, Morgana_ _Pendragon just kissed your CHEEK!_ At that point, Rose didn't care. All she wanted to do was walk up to Morgana and kiss her properly, because her heart felt like it was going to burst with cheesy, cliche, _wonderful_ love. The only problem was that they were in the middle of Camelot now, where there were plenty of observers and guards who would have Rose killed for such a demonstration. Plus there was the fact that Rose was an absolute coward, and even with the emotional high she was on right now, she wouldn't be able to muster up the courage. Also, there was that whole thing where Rose was nearly 89.5% positive that Morgana didn't feel the same way. Maybe just 89%, after all that had happened today on the horse ride. Those were a hell of a lot of problems.

 _Maybe some day,_ Rose amended, though she wasn't fairly positive that that 'some day' was never going to happen. Well, a girl could dream, couldn't she?


	8. Chapter 8

**I didn't think I'd get another chapter up so soon, since I'm currently on vacation, but I was on a roll, I suppose. Enjoy~**

They didn't speak about the horse-ride, the extremely awkward moment in which their faces had been mere inches apart, nor the chaste kiss Morgana had placed on Rose's cheek, because why would they? Morgana didn't act any different around Rose- the woman was all smiles and kind words, friendly nods and fleeting glances. All of which Rose would over-analyze because, apparently, that's what she did best. There were four possible conclusions that Rose came to- either Morgana loved her, hated her, wanted to be her friend, or wanted to kill her in her sleep. One of those four, _most likely_.

So, yes, perhaps Rose's mental investigation on the true nature of Morgana Pendragon's feelings towards her had been going not very well, however- oh, who was she kidding? The King's ward was a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma, and Rose hardly had the will or brainpower to figure the woman out. Thus, in typical Rose fashion, the servant elected to ignore the problem altogether. It was the easier option, and besides, she didn't want to get herself worked up only mere speculation. It was difficult enough seeing Morgana's shining, beautiful, _perfect_ face every day, Rose didn't need to convince herself that she had even the slimmest of chances with her. That'd be masochism at it's worst, wouldn't it?

Xxx

One particular task that Rose was often assigned to was attending to Morgana's goblet during the noble's dinners with the prince and king. That girl certainly loved her wine- as Morgana had explained to Rose once with a roll of her eyes, "There's no way I would be able to get through a dinner with Uther completely sober." So Rose would obediently hover over the woman's shoulder, filling her cup when Morgana gestured for her to do so.

That night was no different. Every time King Uther (or even Prince Arthur) made a comment that displeased her, Morgana would clench her jaw and force a smile, taking a deep sip from her goblet. Once the cup was empty, Morgana would turn slightly in her seat, offering the goblet to Rose with a genuine smile. When the noble's cheeks started to get flushed, Rose considered not giving her any more, but she quickly dismissed the idea. _Not your place, not your place,_ she reminded herself, like a mantra.

Morgana was beginning to show the signs of slight drunkenness in how she was starting to speak her mind more than she had been. King Uther had made some off-hand remark about how the guards had caught a man suspected of using sorcery, and how the man was going to be executed the following morning. Rose watched Morgana, waiting for the woman to clench her jaw and gesture for more wine, but the next thing she knew, Morgana was slamming her goblet onto the table with a loud _clang!_ Rose, Uther, and Arthur all stared at the noble as she spat out, " _Why?_ "

"Why _what_ , child?" the King asked, his hard eyes burrowing into his ward's- an obvious warning for her to hold her tongue, to not defy him. Rose swallowed nervously, knowing that this wasn't going to be very pretty.

"You said it yourself, this man was _suspected_ of using magic. You have no proof, and yet you're condemning this man- who is most likely innocent- to death! Think about this man's family, how they'll feel. Do you see nothing wrong with that?!" Morgana fumed, glaring right back at the king. Rose glanced between the two nobles, feeling the tension in the air. _She's going to get herself in trouble!_ Rose looked over at the Prince Arthur and stared at him, silently pleading for him to step in despite the fact that he wasn't aware of her gaze. The prince stayed infuriatingly silent as the king spoke again, the man's voice growing sharper.

"I have on very good word that this man practiced using enchantments. I needn't remind you that sorcery is _illegal_ in my kingdom, punishable by death! Everyone knows that, and this man brought it on himself. My conscience is clear."

Morgana released a growl of frustration, her face grower redder in her anger. "Then you obviously haven't even a semblance of a conscience, Uther Pendragon! This act of violence, of-"

"You watch your tongue!" Uther hissed, his voice furious. "I am the King, and you are my ward. I will not take this nonsense from you, Morgana, do you hear me?"

 _I have to do something, I have to do something!_ Rose wracked her brain desperately for some way she could get Morgana out of the situation, or at the very least, calm the woman's fiery temper. _But what can I do?_ She tried to think of some excuse, some lie- her eyes dropped to the pitcher of wine still firmly clutched it her hands, and she had an idea. Swallowing nervously (praying that she wouldn't A, get fired or B, have Morgana turn her anger on Rose) the servant moved closer to her lady. "More wine?" she offered quietly. Morgana glanced over her shoulder and nodded briefly before her glare returned to Uther, her mouth parting to shoot out a retort.

Before the King's ward could do so, Rose deliberately spilled wine all over the front of Morgana's beautiful- probably ridiculously expensive- cream-colored dress. Whatever the woman was about to say was silenced as she gasped in surprise, looking up at her servant with a mixture of shock and confusion. "I am so, so sorry, milady, I'm so clumsy, I tripped, ugh, I'm so sorry," Rose stammered out, grabbing a napkin and trying to dab at Morgana's dress. Her face was bright red, if only because of their close proximity and the fact that all three nobles were staring at her.

"Foolish girl! Is that not the second time you spilled wine? Are you incapable of such a simple task?" Uther spat out. _Wow, he sounds_ exactly _like Lady Percival..._ "Morgana, Lady Percival must've been lying when she spoke of her- this, this servant, she's incompetent, clearly!"

Morgana shot the king a fierce glare before she took the napkin from Rose's hands, murmuring, "It's fine, Rose. A simple mistake. Not that big of a deal."

"No!" Rose yelped. Morgana's emerald eyes turned up to her again, her dark eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "It's, um, a very big deal. A big mistake- your dress, it's ruined. Absolutely ruined. You must, um, you should definitely, change. Out of the dress. Because it's ruined." Making sure that Prince Arthur or King Uther didn't see her, Rose mouthed, _"Follow my lead!"_

Morgana's eyebrows lifted slightly in response, and although she still looked confused, she gave a very slight nod. Standing abruptly, she told the king, "I'm sorry, my lord, but my servant is right. I should get changed- I'm exhausted, anyhow, I believe it time for me to retire." _Thank God,_ Rose thought, breathing in a sigh of relief.

The King huffed slightly, leaning back in his chair. "Fine," he agreed, eyeing Rose critically before his sharp, eagle's gaze fell on his ward. "The next time I see you, Morgana, I expect an apology for your behavior. Perhaps it's just the wine going to your head, but I do warn you, I won't tolerate that. I am the king- I know what is best for this kingdom, not you." Morgana visibly bristled at this. She turned to say something, but Rose brushed her fingers against the woman's elbow instinctively, and Morgana looked back at her. The dark-haired woman stared for a heartbeat before realization passed over her face.

Her jaw clenched, Morgana dipped her head, saying stiffly, "Yes, my lord. Good night to the both of you." Whipping around, she stalked out of the room, straight to her chambers.

Rose closed the door behind them and rushed to get a new dress for Morgana, busily sorting through the assortment of dresses to find something comfortable for her to wear. She was so relieved that Morgana was out of there- she couldn't bear seeing the king yell at his ward like that. Maybe it was silly of her, to do something as drastic as pouring wine all over Morgana, but that was the only plan her mind could formulate. _At least it worked_ , she told herself.

"Rose."

The servant in question glanced around, spotting Morgana in her wine-stained dress. A small frown on her face, Rose apologized again, "I'm very sorry, milady, it was a stupid mistake. I tripped, and-"

"No, you didn't." Morgana sounded sure of herself, and Rose felt her cheeks grow pink. _Uh-oh._ "I saw you- you didn't trip, you just poured the wine right on me. Why did you do that?" Rose came up with an excuse- _"I was just distracted, that's all, not paying attention!"_ \- but with the way Morgana's eyes were seemingly piercing into her soul, she found the truth slipping right from her lips.

"I'm sorry, I thought I was helping, that's all." _Damn it, Rose. You can't keep a secret for the life of you, can you? Not with her staring at you, like that._ At Morgana's prompting look, Rose explained quietly, "You were going to get yourself in trouble. I couldn't- well, I just- I don't know, I just didn't want you to get yourself in trouble, I suppose. I know that, you know, it's not my place and all, but you've had so much wine, I figured that you were just going to regret it, and I shouldn't have gotten involved. You can do as you please, of course you can, fight your own battles and such, but- I couldn't- and I- ugh. Ugh, I'm sorry, I'm so stupid." She shook her head and sighed, pulling a comfortable-looking blue dress from the wardrobe and walking it over to Morgana.

The fair-haired woman was stunned to see a small smile itching at Morgana's lips. The noble took the dress from Rose's hands and turned, walking in front of her mirror. Turning her shoulder slightly, Morgana frowned at the wine stains on the dress. "I appreciate the gesture, Rose, but did you have to ruin my favorite dress?" she teased, smirking at her through the mirror.

Rose froze in horror, her mouth opening and closing pathetically. "I ruined your favorite dress," Rose said stupidly. "Oh, goodness, I'm sorry, it was such a stupid plan, I didn't even think it through really, I was so intent on helping I just messed everything up. I can, um, pay for another one, one that's like that, I can, I'm sorry-"

Morgana laughed and rolled her eyes. "I'm just kidding," she said, clearly amused as she walked behind her dressing screen. "I didn't like the dress _that_ much. Mind you, I got quite a few stares thanks to it-" _Who wouldn't stare at you?_ Rose wanted to say, "-but I think it's best it be formally retired. It had a good run as a dress to the Lady Morgana, King's ward. Don't you think?"

"Yes," Rose sputtered stupidly, her back turned away from the screen with her cheeks bright red. Gwen usually handled this area, helping Morgana get changed- if Morgana asked for assistance, Rose didn't know what she'd do. Explode, most likely. Faint. Die. Something dramatic along those lines. "It was, um, a very nice dress. On you. I mean, it was an okay dress, but it looked very nice- on, you know, you. My mum always says that it's the woman who makes the dress, not the other way around, and I think that that's a very wise thing to say. Very true, you know, quite accurate, especially now. All the time, actually, I mean, you own very _nice_ dresses, very nice, but that's not what makes you beau- um, that's not what makes you _you_ , you know? Personality. Wit. Beliefs, you know, stuff like that, I think that's what makes a person truly lovely, you know, and I think that you're very- well, um-"

"Not that I don't love hearing you compliment me in your own way, Rose," Morgana chuckled from behind the screen, "But would you mind helping me a bit here? This dress's laces are particularly tough to undo by myself."

 _This is the moment of truth, Rosie. Act cool. You'll see a tiny bit of skin, that's it, don't freak out- just undo the laces and be done with it. Don't be creepy!_ "O-of course, milady," Rose mumbled, hesitantly moving forward. Morgana stood at the opening to the dressing screen, her back to her servant, with her long dark hair swept over a shoulder. Her fingers shaking slightly and willing herself to calm down, Rose undid the laces one at a time. While she was undoing one of the particularly tough laces, her fingers brushed the skin on Morgana's back- Rose immediately stiffened, and awkwardly apologized before quickly finishing the job. "There."

Morgana turned slightly and shot her a smile before disappearing back behind in the screen. After a few minutes, Morgana emerged in the new dress Rose had handed her. The servant took the ruined dress and folded it hastily before putting it aside, figuring she could dispose of it the following morning. Watching awkwardly as Morgana prepared to go to bed, Rose awaited her dismissal for the night.

The King's ward paused for a moment before she turned to her servant. "Rose, I hate to ask this, but would you mind staying later tonight? Gwen has been getting here very early in the mornings and going home very late at night, so I decided to give her the night off. Perhaps for a while, if you truly wouldn't mind."

Despite perhaps her better judgement, Rose found herself nodding. "Of course I will, that's- well, that's perfectly fine with me. I've plenty of things I can do, anyway, around the castle, I think I will-" Staring at Morgana, Rose remembered why exactly Gwen typically stayed late- because of the noble's nightmares. "I mean," she quickly corrected, "I might just stay here. Maybe, you know, re-arrange your dresses, maybe by color or something like that. A good project that I've been meaning to do, actually, I've wanted to do it for a while." She hadn't actually been meaning to arrange Morgana's dressed in color order, but Morgana didn't need to know that, did she?

Morgana smiled softly, clearly relieved, and nodded. "Thank you, Rose, I appreciate it," she said earnestly. Rose couldn't help but smile to herself, dipping her head in response. She walked over to Morgana's wardrobe and began to arrange the dresses when she heard the woman's slightly hesitant voice call out to her. "Can I ask you a question?"

Rose turned to face the woman, a green dress in her hand. "Of course, milady," she replied, though mentally she began to panic. _Are you in love with me? How long have you been in love with me? Why are you in love with me?_ Something regarding the fact that Rose was in love with her, probably. "You can ask me anything."

A small smile passed over Morgana's lips before she asked carefully, "Do you think I was right? About what Uther and I were arguing about today, about that poor man sentenced to death. Even if he did have magic, do you think he deserved to be executed for it?"

The maid considered how to answer the question. She couldn't very well say _yes, I agree with you,_ now could she? If she said yes, she would be going against the king and his laws. That'd be treason, wouldn't it? It was what she believed in, but if she expressed this belief and word got to king, she'd most likely be hung herself. Or she'd get her head chopped off. Or she'd be burned at the stake. _Wow, Camelot really needs to decide on their standard execution tactic, don't they?_

Instead Rose settled on replying with a simple shrug, "It doesn't very well matter what I think, milady. Those are the laws, and it is certainly not my place to question them."

Morgana huffed- this obviously wasn't the answer she was looking for. "Speak your mind, Rose, I want to hear your opinion," she said, her voice tinged with sharpness but her emerald eyes soft and pleading. "It's not as if I'm going to report you to the king if you speak against him. If you disagree with me, though, that's another problem altogether." Morgana shot her a smile, and Rose knew she was teasing.

"Well," Rose began slowly, cautiously, "I do mean what I said. I don't think it's any of my business to question the laws set in place. However... I do agree with you. My, um-" She swallowed nervously and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear as a matter of instinct. "Well, um, my father's sister- she was a Druid, actually. _Was_." Rose chuckled grimly. "Yeah, um, a neighbor reported her. The next morning, Camelot guards were swarming the village, and two mornings later, she was hung." Morgana's eyes widened in horror. "She was- she was a very, very gentle soul, you know, the kind of person who was always smiling and friendly. My dad and her, they were really close, he- he took it really hard, you know? We all did, and, I think my dad still harbors a lot of bitterness about it, but... I'm not really sure."

Rose shrugged her shoulders. "I kind of have conflicting feelings about it. I mean- magic, you know, it was obviously against the law, and she practiced magic. She broke the law. But... her magic, it was her life, and she never used it for evil. Never, not once. She used to, um, I remember she used to have this little spell, that would make these beautiful butterflies made of light appear. My little sister and I loved it, all of the children in the village did, and I just- I don't know, I can't see how conjuring butterflies is evil, you know?" Feeling her throat begin to close and her vision starting to swim with unshed tears, Rose shook her head. "But, um, I don't think you should antagonize the king about it. Maybe one day, you know, maybe when the prince is king, he'll bring magic back, but until then..." She shrugged her shoulders again and sighed.

Morgana was silent for a while, and Rose had assumed the woman had fallen asleep, when her voice murmured, "Thank you, Rose."


	9. Chapter 9

The next two nights went fairly smoothly. Rose kept herself occupied in Morgana's chambers while the woman slept- arranging and re-arranging clothes, mostly, because Morgana certainly had a lot. The woman in question was mostly quiet during the nights. She tossed and turned often, and occasionally Rose would hear a soft whimper or two, but that was it. Rose wondered what she was dreaming about, what was happening in her nightmares, but she didn't dare wake the noble. Morgana needed her sleep, and Rose had no desire to disturb her.

That night Rose fell into her normal routine of pulling dresses out of Morgana's wardrobes, laying them out on the small table at center of the woman's chambers. Quietly humming to herself, the servant picked up each dress one-by-one, meticulously scanned it for stains or rips or blemishes, and if it was clean, tucked it back into the wardrobe. It was quite enjoyable for her, considering that she had always felt a sort of satisfaction when organizing things, and it was certainly much better than what she had been doing for Lady Percival, that's for sure.

Hearing a faint rustling noise, Rose turned towards Morgana's bed. The noble had turned onto her other side, her face scrunched into a frown. Her lips parted and she mumbled something unintelligible. If Rose didn't know that Morgana was most likely having terrible nightmares, she might've thought her expression was cute. Turning back to her work, Rose continued on, only stopping again when the King's ward's mumbles turned into sharp gasps and much more intelligible words.

"Stop, stop," Morgana choked out, writhing in her bed. "Please, I'm innocent, I swear-" A sob ripped it's way out of her throat, and Rose found she couldn't just stand there and watch. Crossing the room, the servant slowly drew closer to the sleeping Morgana, unsure of what to do. _Do something, Rose, don't just stand there. Lord knows what's dreaming about- you just going to watch and let her suffer?_ Coming to a decision, Rose lightly placed a hand on Morgana, and shook the woman's shoulder gently.

"Morgana," Rose murmured, sitting next to her on bed. "Morgana, wake up, it's just a dream. Come on, just a dream." The words felt awkward- she had never been very good at comforting people, and it felt especially odd to be comforting Morgana of all people. The noble's whole body went still, and Rose figured that the dreams had passed. Beginning to stand, she yelped in surprise when a hand shot out through the darkness and grabbed her wrist tightly. "Morgana?" she said uncertainly, turning to look at the woman who was now clearly awake. Morgana's eyes were wide and terrified, and Rose felt a pang in her heart.

"Rose," Morgana whispered, tears beginning to leak from her eyes. It was then that Rose noticed that Morgana was the kind of person who looked beautiful when they cried- she was ashamed to think of such a thing at a time like this, but it was true. The tears shining in the noble's eyes seemed to make them seem brighter, bringing out the green in her eyes, and her cheeks and nose were pink with the effort of it all. _Come on, really? At a time like this? Not an appropriate time to be ogling, Rosie!_ Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Rose parted her mouth to awkwardly ask if Morgana needed anything. Before she could, however, Morgana said, her voice croaky and broken, "C-Can you please, just- Gwen usually-"

 _Gwen usually comforts her like a normal human being would,_ Rose realized with a jolt. Her head bobbing, she moved closer, slowly so as not to startle, as if Morgana were some kind of deer. She outstretched her arms awkwardly, unsure exactly what to do. In one fluid movement, Morgana had her arms wrapped around Rose, pulling the servant down onto the bed with her. Squeaking in surprise, Rose's hands fell into place- one stroking Morgana's hair (because that's what her parents used to do for her when she was upset) and the other on the small of the woman's back. Her brain was short-circuiting, being this close to the noble, and she forced herself to stay calm for Morgana's sake. "Do you..." Rose swallowed nervously, and pulled away slightly. "Do you, um, you know- want to talk about it, or something?" she asked weakly. Wasn't that what you were supposed to say? She had no idea.

Morgana chuckled unevenly and lifted a hand to wipe her eyes. "I'm sorry," she murmured, "I'm sure I look like such a mess. I don't know why my dreams affect me so much- I know they're not real, of course, but they just seem to be. They're so vivid." She shrugged a shoulder, her arms still loosely wrapped around Rose, who didn't find herself minding very much.

She shook her head at Morgana's words, and said immediately, "No, don't feel bad. I mean, you know, I used to have nightmares, when I first came to Camelot. Yeah, um- I was homesick, you know, and was under a lot of stress. I'd wake up terrified, so I mean, I understand at least somewhat." She shrugged and offered the woman a soft smile. She paused for a second before asking gently, "What was, you know, the dream about? You don't have to tell me if you don't want, of course, but my dad, he always, you know, always used to say that one good way to sort out a problem is talking about it. Well, I mean, something like that, anyway." Rose chuckled, slightly embarrassed, and tucked her hair behind her ears.

Morgana smiled gently and nodded. "You're right." She hesitated for a moment before her face crumpled, obviously remembering her nightmare, and began slowly with her voice wavering. "It was just so, so horrible. I was in the square, and there were people everywhere, just glaring at me. I was tied up to a stake very tightly, and I was terrified, trying to get out, but it was just too tight. Uther and Arthur, they were standing above on the balcony, looking coldly down at me. I screamed and cried for them to let me go, that I was innocent, but they just wouldn't listen. I saw Gwen in the crowd, and I tried to get her to help, but she just glared at me. You, you were there too- you had a torch, and you walked up, and I begged you to not do it. But you said- you said that I deserved it, that I was evil, and you lit the flames. That's when I woke up."

Rose's eyes went wide, and she shook her head. "I'd never do that to you," she promised earnestly, trying to comfort the woman. "And I bet Gwen, and the king, and the prince wouldn't either. You're not even close to being evil, anyway. The exact opposite, I think, and besides, you know, if that were to even happen- which it _wouldn't_ \- I would, well, I don't know. I'd do anything in my power to stop it, really, I wouldn't let it happen. I don't know how, but, I'd do something to save you. I couldn't let you die, I just wouldn't. You're- you're-" Rose searched for the proper words to explain what she meant without declaring her love for Morgana. Releasing a small sigh, she shook her head and offered the noble her best smile. "Don't worry, though. Just a dream." Her fingers brushed up and down Morgana's arm in an attempt to comfort her, and was surprised when the woman leaned into her touch.

Swallowing nervously, Rose found herself once again uncomfortable with their extremely close proximity. The majority of her screamed at her to stay as close as possible, to drink in Morgana's warmth and revel in the closeness, but the sane part of her brain reminded her how this was wrong. _You're a servant. You're a servant. You're a servant._ So she carefully pulled herself away and turned, mumbling with her face red, "I'm sorry, milady, but I really think I should go home. You need your sleep, and as do I. I think-"

"Rose?" Morgana interrupted. The servant turned and stared at Morgana's fingers, still wrapped around her wrist, before looking up questioningly. "I think you should stay tonight. I think that it would be for the best." Her green eyes stared deeply into Rose's hazel ones, and any form of protest died on her lips.

"O-Okay," Rose said dumbly. _That's simply not fair- Morgana must know the effect she has on me, she must be taking advantage of it._ Rose _knew_ that Morgana was taking advantage of it, but she couldn't summon enough willpower to mind very much. "But, I'm not going to be able to stay awake the whole night, you know," she found herself saying. "I have to sleep, or else I'll be falling asleep tomorrow while washing clothes or something. Do you, I don't know, have a chair somewhere? You must." The servant glanced around the room with a small frown, searching for a chair. She spotted the one tucked next to the mirror, and went to go sit, but Morgana kept a firm hold on Rose's wrist. Glancing over at the King's ward, Rose frowned a bit in confusion.

"Don't be silly," Morgana dismissed with a casual roll of her eyes. "This bed is big enough for the both of us." Her lips tugged upward in amusement at Rose's horror-struck expression, and with a firm tug (or perhaps _rough_ _jerk_ would be more accurate), Rose was careening onto the bed and into Morgana. The noble chuckled and slid aside, finally releasing her grip on Rose's wrist. She arched an eyebrow at Rose with a small smirk, and prompted, "Well? Get in, already."

 _Well, she recovered awfully quickly from her nightmare. I'm not sure if that's a good thing, or a bad thing..._ Rose glanced, her eyes wide, in between Morgana and the bed. Her brain was telling her to _abort, abort, abort_ , but she found herself unable to move any way but forward. _I'm going to regret this_ , she thought guiltily as she hesitantly slid into the bed. Morgana pulled the blankets back up and Rose scooted to the very edge of the bed, taking up as little space and being as far away from Morgana as possible.

The King's ward scoffed. "I've told you before, Rose, I don't exactly bite. Make yourself comfortable, won't you?" Rose reluctantly turned onto her right side (the only way in which she could sleep, unfortunately) and found herself looking right at Morgana, whose eyes were closed. For a few seconds she found herself unable to rip her eyes away- Morgana truly was the most beautiful woman in the whole castle. In the whole world, most likely. A smile tugged at the noble's lips and she teased, "Stop staring at me and go to sleep." Swallowing nervously and reminding herself how bad of an idea this was, Rose closed her own eyes and allowed sleep to eventually claim her.

What seemed like mere seconds later, Rose awoke to the noise of someone loudly clearing their throat. Her eyes fluttering open, sharp sunlight momentarily blinded her before she made out the shape of Morgana's servant, looking rather uncomfortable. "Gwen?" Rose mumbled, confused. It was then that she felt arms tighten around her, and remembering where she was and what exactly Gwen was clearing her throat at, Rose's eyes shot wide open in shock and horror. Yelping, she jerked her arms away from Morgana and scrambled away from the woman, falling off the bed in the process after her legs got tangled in the sheets. Her face was bright red as she leaped to her feet, heart racing as she fell over herself trying to explain the situation.

"Oh, god, Gwen, that wasn't- it doesn't look good, I know, but it's not- not what it looks like, you know, I mean, um, I was just trying to be- she told me to- nothing happened, I swear- oh, god, oh god, you _have_ to believe me! I'm dead, I'm so dead, _what the hell was I thinking_ I need to leave, I can't do this, I'm going to get myself killed, but I didn't do anything, I swear, but don't punish _her_ punish _me_ or don't maybe, I mean, it was all my fault, I have no willpower when it comes to her I swear! I, I, I'm an idiot, I just can't say no to her, I can't, it's like- like- some kind of illness, or something, I don't- oh, god, I'm so dead." All of these words rushed out of her mouth in a matter of seconds, and Rose felt like she was about to burst into tears.

Gwen frowned and shook her head. "It's alright," she said soothingly, walking over and gently placing her hand on Rose's shoulder. "I'm not going to tell anyone. This is the second time I've found you in Morgana's bed, though... Is there something going on?" Her eyebrows raised and Rose felt herself feeling both relieved and petrified at the same time.

"No, no, of course not, she asked me to stay with her, I couldn't say no, I wanted to help, you know, she told me to stay," Rose stammered, glancing over her shoulder at Morgana, who was climbing out of the bed herself.

"I asked her to stay," Morgana confirmed nonchalantly, pulling her dark hair over her shoulder as she walked over to her mirror. _How can she be so calm about this?!_ Sitting down in the chair, the woman glanced over at Gwen expectantly, waiting for the servant to begin their morning ritual of her brushing Morgana's hair. Gwen moved instinctively, Rose hovering awkwardly as she began her duty. "I had another terrible nightmare last night, and I asked Rose to stay the night. I wasn't about to have her sleep in a chair, so I offered my bed, since there was ample space for the both of us. It was nothing, Gwen." Morgana touched her servant's hand to prove she was being sincere, and the maid nodded her head to show she believed her.

"Alright, I just don't want either of you to get into trouble," Gwen replied, bringing the hairbrush carefully through Morgana's raven-colored tresses. "Do you want me to resume staying later in the night, milady? To avoid certain... misunderstandings." Rose knew exactly what Gwen was thinking- _Morgana never had_ me _sleep in her bed with her, so why did she have Rose?_ Frankly, Rose hadn't the slightest of ideas. She looked at Morgana through the mirror and begged with her eyes, _"Please say yes!"_ It wasn't as if Rose didn't want to spend extra time with Morgana- she just knew that she was dealing with fire, and if she wasn't careful, she'd end up getting burned.

Lady Morgana shrugged her shoulders and met Rose's gaze in the mirror. "Whatever Rose wishes is fine with me," she said simply, almost dismissively. Rose wasn't sure what exactly that meant, or what Morgana wanted her to say, though she had an aching suspicion that the noble perhaps wasn't being as cautious about the situation as she was. The servant considered the question of _do I or don't I_ very carefully before she formulated a proper response.

"If Lady Morgana needs me to service her by staying later, well, I don't really mind doing so." Looking between Morgana and Gwen before her gaze settled on the latter, Rose added kindly, "Especially since you've done it for so long, Gwen, I think you definitely deserve to catch up on any sleep you might've missed." She looked up at Morgana, who offered her a small smile, and she swallowed nervously. _Except, no more sleeping in Morgana's bed, missy,_ she told herself sternly. Imagine if it hadn't been Gwen who walked in, but instead a guard or even worse, the prince or king- she'd be dead within the day, she just knew it. No matter what her feelings were for the King's ward, Rose couldn't take that risk. She needed to stay cool and keep her head on straight, or else she could very well end up dead.


	10. Chapter 10

Rose stayed as distant as possible, if not for Morgana's sake but for her own. She reminded herself over and over why she couldn't let herself get too close, but still she found herself questioning how bad the consequences could actually be. _Maybe I'm being a bit over-dramatic about the whole 'death' thing,_ she reasoned, but in the same breath fiercely reminded herself, _Right, like King_ Uther Pendragon _would be so merciful if he found a servant in bed with his ward-slash-adopted daughter. Makes total sense, Rosie._

If Morgana noticed Rose's slightly distant behavior, she certainly didn't say anything. The only indication that the noble picked up on her servant's hesitation was that she hadn't again invited Rose into her bed. For that, Rose was grateful, because she wasn't sure if she'd be able to summon enough willpower to say no if Morgana asked. When there's a will, there's a way, but with her current inner debate raging on in her head, she wasn't even positive if there _was_ a will to stay clear of getting closer than necessary to Morgana. Rose made a mental note to make a decision on that already before she was driven insane.

In the meantime, she continued to stay later than usual with Morgana- well, not _with_ Morgana, because she was trying to avoid all of that, but she was just staying later in the chambers at night. She'd keep herself busy with little tasks and chores, anything that didn't produce too much noise so as not to wake the King's ward. In the past week, Morgana had only woken up from a nightmare once, but had tossed and turned in her sleep all the other nights. When Rose had comforted her she had simply held the woman's pale, cool hand, afraid to get too close and get sucked into something she would later regret.

Morgana retired early from dinner that night, claiming a headache and apologizing to the king, who had simply waved her off. As soon as they reached her chambers, Morgana rolled her eyes and released a long, growling sigh. Stepping behind her dressing screen to slip into a more comfortable dress to sleep in, Rose heard the woman murmur, "I'm not sure how much longer I can take this."

Frowning, Rose stepped closer and asked curiously, "Take what, milady?"

Morgana scoffed and peered over at her servant through one of the holes in the top of the screen. "Uther, of course. Did you hear him, just a little while ago? He was telling an old story to Arthur and I, about the Great Purge. About how he rounded up and caged Druids and other magical peoples like they were animals." She released a sharp, angry laugh. "He was practically _boasting_ about it, as if it were some great accomplishment, executing those people. It makes me sick to my stomach thinking about it, how this is what passes for a good king- a complete lack of conscience and a lust for blood." The acid in Morgana's voice made Rose flinch as the woman stalked out from behind the screen in her night dress.

"Milady, I think that it's time for you to go sleep," Rose said, as gently as she could. Morgana's glare turned on her for a fraction of a second before her gaze softened, and she sighed again, this one betraying her absolute exhaustion. The raven-haired woman nodded once before moving to her bed, murmuring goodnight before burrowing under the covers. A small smile tugging on her lips, Rose began the chores she wished to accomplish that night out of pure instinct.

Two hours later, she was tidying up one of the adjoining rooms that was attached to Morgana's main chambers. Humming a quiet tune, Rose adjusted furniture and swept up the layer of dust that covered the floor. _This room is filthy_ _,_ she thought absentmindedly to herself, wondering when was the last time it had been cleaned. Just as she began to calculate estimations just to amuse herself, a shrill scream from Morgana's chambers had her practically jumping out of her skin. The broom she had been using clattered to the ground with a loud _smack_ , and Rose's eyes widened in fear- was that scream from a nightmare or because of something else?

Rushing towards the chamber to find out , she reached the threshold of the door and froze in horror at what she saw. Morgana jerked upward in her bed, and time seemed to slow as her eyes flashed a rich gold color. The glass vase sitting on the table in front of her bed shattered, and Rose found herself numb. She'd seen eyes flash that color before. She remembered like it was only yesterday- her aunt, with her kind smile and impish face, her eyes flashing a liquid gold just before she summoned those butterflies. There was only one explanation, and that was that Morgana had magic. Rose knew it to be true, she felt it deep in her bones.

Morgana had magic, but what about the king? Did he know? _Of course he doesn't know!_ The man despised and loathed magic with every fiber of his being, he'd most likely have his ward killed for her magic, burned at the stake. Suddenly Morgana's nightmare from those nights before made much more sense, and Rose felt sick to her stomach. All this time, Morgana had been terrified and scared for her life, and here Rose was, fretting about _herself_ getting killed just for being close with Morgana.

Rose snapped back to reality when Morgana's doors slammed open. Guards rushed in, obviously looking for the source of the disturbance. One went to comfort Morgana and ask if she was alright, while the others immediately noticed the shattered glass vase. As their eyes scanned the room, Rose shrunk into the shadows of the adjoining room- was she supposed to be here this late? Would the guards suspect that she had done something to Morgana, that she had provoked Morgana's scream? By the time Rose fiercely reminded herself to worry about Morgana and not herself, the guards were rushing the King's ward out of the room. _Get over yourself, Rose, and sort everything out!_

The servant commanded her feet to move and she followed the guards and Morgana down the hall. She heard Morgana insisting, "It's fine, nothing's wrong!" Rose nearly flinched at the noticeable tremor in the woman's voice. She was terrified, and Rose wanted nothing more than to reassure the noble that everything was fine, she was fine, everything was fine, even if it wasn't true. What was Morgana going to tell the king? That the vase shattered on it's own, that she screamed for no reason? Uther surely knew about Morgana's nightmares, so the screaming wasn't that large of an issue, but the vase would be much harder to explain. Rose liked to think that she knew the woman well enough to know that Morgana wasn't about to say someone _did_ intrude, because that meant that innocent people would get arrested and even executed because of a simple lie. No, the noble wouldn't do that, and Rose realized that she needed to come up with an excuse and quick.

When Rose entered the throne room, Uther had a large hand resting on Morgana's shoulder- as close and comforting as he would get with his ward, Rose supposed. "Tell me what happened," he urged. "Did someone break into your room? Who was it?"

Morgana shook her head, and Rose could see that her eyes were damp. "No," she scoffed tearfully, lifting a pale hand to wipe her eyes. "No, no one broke into my room, it was just- I had a nightmare, that's why I screamed, but-" Morgana was struggling to find an explanation, an excuse, as well. She couldn't just say, _"The vase broke because I had a bad dream and shattered it with my out-of-control magic."_ That was definitely not an option, for obvious reasons.

Uther scowled. "Don't try to defend this person, Morgana, whoever they are," he growled sternly. "You must've seen something, vases don't just shatter by themselves!" He turned to glare at the guards as if to urge them to give him additional information.

Before she knew what she was doing, Rose stepped forward and cleared her throat awkwardly. All eyes in the room immediately snapped to her, and she shifted uncomfortably on her feet. Swallowing carefully, her eyes met Morgana's- the woman's face betrayed her confusion, but also her terror, and it was Rose realized that she had no choice. So maybe she got punished, maybe she got fired, but she'd do anything if it meant protecting Morgana. Isn't that how love worked? You'd defend them with your last breath? Smiling inwardly at the thought, Rose _ahem_ ed again. "Yeah, um, I'm very sorry for the confusion, my lord, but, I mean- that's what this all is, of course, a total misunderstanding," she explained in one breath, laughing nervously at the end.

"What is the meaning of this, child?" King Uther demanded, eyes sharp as a hawk's as he stared Rose down. _Well, he's not intimidating whatsoever. Nope, not at all._ Rose found that the little jokes to herself made her feel less horrifyingly embarrassed and small. If the shoe fits, right?

"Well," Rose began again, lifting a hand to tug her fingers through her hair. "See, here's the thing. I'm super... super..." She could hardly summon the strength to make herself say the word, it was so offensive to her. _Do it_ _for Morgana,_ she urged herself. "I'm super, well... _Clumsy_." The word felt like acid on her tongue, but she was proud of herself for having the courage to call herself such a horrible thing. "Very, very much so, as you probably well know from all of those mistakes with the wine, right? Poured it on the prince, poured it on Mor- the Lady Morgana, I'm just terribly, terribly... Well, you know." Insert another forced laugh as her hands began to sweat. "And, as milady said, she had a nightmare, a bad one, terrible one. I mean, I'm assuming, sorry, but I'm just assuming, since she woke up screaming and all that, I don't suspect you wake up screaming from a _good_ dream, right? I'm sorry, getting off topic, but the _point here is_ , I'm just terribly, well, _you know_ , so when I heard her scream, it surprised me very, very much. Thought my heart was going to right burst. I was replacing the flowers in the vase when it happened, and, well, I overreacted. Swept the vase right off the table in my surprise, sent it crashing and shattering and everything. It was an honest mistake, my lord, I should've said right away. No bandit off to steal your beautiful ward here, am I right?"

It was so quiet that the only thing Rose could hear was her heart _thump thump thump_ ing in her chest. _Please believe me, please believe me..._ Both Uther and Morgana gaped at her for a long while before the king's voice pierced the silence. "You broke the vase?" he repeated incredulously, looking over at Morgana who appeared to be just as stunned as he was. "If you broke the vase, then why were you not present in the room when the guards came in?" _Damn it, Uther, you're supposed to have no common sense so this whole situation can be done with already._

"Errrr..." Rose clambered for an adequate response before she came up with an answer. "Well!" she shot out, "See, I left my broom in the other room. I didn't want to leave the glass just _lying_ there, someone would get a shard of glass impaling their foot or something. Very dangerous. So, I went to go get the broom, and when I came back, the guards were ushering milady out of the room. I followed as quick as I could, I didn't want any misunderstandings, you know? I'm very, very sorry my lord, it will not happen again, I promise it."

King Uther stayed silent for a long while before he waved his hand dismissively. "Fine, I accept your story. But you've proved yourself to be extraordinarily clumsy and incapable of simple tasks, and one more mistake will result in your immediate termination. Do you understand me, girl?" His eyes burrowed into Rose, who avoided eye contact and bobbed her head obediently. "Good," he growled, turning around and striding over to Morgana. "You asked specifically for this servant, Morgana, but one more idiotic mishap and you will be getting a new, more competent servant. Now try to go to bed- I'll tell Gaius tomorrow to start making stronger sleeping potions, since the current one you're taking seems to not be helping. Good night."

The two women curtsied respectfully, and Rose was stunned when Morgana's fingers wrapped firmly around her wrist. The noble tugged her out of the throne room, down the hall, and pulled her into a small, dark nook. Realizing their close proximity and the fact that Morgana was staring intently at her, Rose felt herself growing rapidly anxious and uncomfortable. "U-Um, Morgana...?" she began awkwardly, scooting as far away from the woman as possible in the small space just to have Morgana take a step closer.

"Why did you do that?" Morgana demanded, and Rose glanced up into the woman's vivid emerald eyes for a heartbeat. Her eyebrows twitched downward in slight confusion, prompting Morgana to explain. "Why did you lie to him like that? That's the second time you've lied for me. You didn't drop that vase, I know you didn't, I-" Her eyes flashed with fear and Rose instinctively slipped her hands into Morgana's.

"It's alright, Morgana, I know," Rose murmured softly. "I know that you have, well, that you have magic. You don't have to hide it from me anymore."

The King's ward's face crumpled and she choked out, "So that's what it is, then? Magic? Do you really think so?" Rose frowned in sympathy as Morgana's eyes filled with tears, and despite her inability to comfort people, she found herself wanting to do exactly that.

"I definitely think that's the case," the servant murmured almost apologetically, her thumb stroking the back of Morgana's hand. Screw that whole keep-your-distance thing, Morgana needed someone, and Rose would be damned if she wasn't that someone. "My aunt- you know, the Druid one I told you about- right before she used her magic, her eyes turned gold. Right before you shattered the vase, I- well, I saw you, your eyes- I'm sorry, but, they definitely flashed gold."

Morgana's head nodded as if she wasn't surprised, and her eyes dropped down as she gave another tearful laugh. "It's ironic, isn't it? The King's ward has magic. He'd kill me if he knew, Rose, he'd slaughter me like I was just another magical person whom he despised!" Her voice grew in volume in her panic, and Rose had to quietly shush her to keep the woman from attracting any unwanted visitors. "It's- it's so out of control, I can't do anything. What if I end up hurting someone? What if, god forbid, I accidentally use it in front of him, in front of Arthur, in front of someone who'd have me hanged for my magic? I'm just so, so scared, Rose, and I- I just don't know what to do."

Rose pulled Morgana close and gently stroked the woman's dark hair, trying to summon words that she knew would comfort her if she were in this situation. "That's not going to happen, Morgana. I told you, I won't let anything happen to you, alright? I won't, I can't. I know you're scared, I would be too, but my aunt... My aunt always stressed to me that magic is a gift, not a curse. Just like how not all magic is evil, it's just how the person chooses to use it. My aunt was one of the kindest women I'd ever met, she was definitely not evil. And you're not evil either, of course, like I've said. I wish I could help you learn to control your magic, but I- I don't know anyone who has magic." Rose felt useless. She had nothing but a little comfort to offer the woman, and she felt utterly _useless_. "I'm sorry I'm not of much use. In this situation or any, really," Rose mumbled, pulling herself away from Morgana and offering the noble a small, sad smile.

"Don't say that," Morgana said immediately, her voice firm and her eyes hard as they burrowed into Rose's. "You're not useless, you've been so lovely. Gwen is fantastic, she always has been, but there's just something about you." She paused for a long while before realization passed over her face. "I asked you before why you keep lying to me, and I think back to that night that you drunkenly wandered to my chambers and professed your love for me. I don't think that that was just a random drunken speech that could've been delivered to anyone. And you know what I think?"

Rose realized with a jolt how close Morgana's face was to hers. So close that she could feel the noble's breath on her face, so close that Rose would've been able to make out every fleck of color in Morgana's eyes if it hadn't been for the poor lighting. Still, despite her better judgement, Rose found herself whispering, "What?"

Morgana's lips twitched upward in an amused smile. "I think that you're lying when you say that it _was_ just a mistake." Rose felt her heart drop, and her face turn bright red. _Oh, god, she knows! She knows, she knows, she knows- wait a second._ Morgana didn't look disgusted. She didn't look like she was going to laugh in Rose's face. She looked almost... _pleased_. The woman's face was also moving closer and closer into Rose's personal space, and the maid felt like she was going to hyperventilate. "I'm not stupid, Rose. I notice how you look at me, I notice how red and flustered you get around me. Rose, listen to me- I am so glad that you decided to get drunk that night and come to me. I am so glad that you came into my life."

Rose's eyes were as wide as plates at Morgana's words, and she found herself thinking, _Wait... Is she serious?!_ The answer to her question came moments later as Morgana moved closer still until her lips was hovering right over Rose's. The servant found herself thinking numbly, _This really, seriously can't be happening..._ And then, just like that, Morgana's mouth was sliding against hers, and she was actually _kissing_ the love of her life.

She felt like she had just been struck by lightning. Well, not in a bad way- more like in the way how she felt like electricity was running through her veins. Her heart thumped madly in her chest as she melted into the kiss, her hands coming up to gently rest on Morgana's sides. Rose felt the woman's hand rest against her cheek, pulling her ever closer. The kiss itself was soft and slow, even better than Rose had ever imagined, though her mind currently felt like it was going to explode. For a brief moment she wondered if Morgana felt the same connection that she did, but then the woman hummed in pleasure against her lips, and Rose had not a single doubt in her mind.

Eventually air was a necessity, and the two women reluctantly parted, quietly gasping for air. Morgana shot Rose a breathless smile and began to lean in for more when voices of some of the guards echoed from down the hall. Rose froze in horror, and she realized what they were doing. She realized exactly how dangerous the situation was for the both of them. If someone were to catch them like this...

With that thought in mind, Rose scrambled away from Morgana, gently pushing Morgana away to get some distance between them. When she looked up and saw the hurt and confusion on Morgana's face, she explained hastily, "Morgana, I would be lying if I said that I didn't want this more than anything in this world, but this is just- it's just, it's just, so so wrong, in so many ways. You're a noble, the King's ward, and I'm just- just a servant. This just, it can't happen, if we get caught we will both be punished severely. I don't want that to happen, and besides, this just... You're just so- I can't- it just... It isn't right, I'm so, so sorry."

Before Morgana could argue or say anything, Rose rushed away. Feeling her throat begin to close and her eyes begin to sting, she reminded herself over and over again that she did the right thing. The mature and responsible thing. _I did the right thing,_ she told herself, but all she could think about was the feeling of Morgana's lips on hers, the feeling of Morgana's hands on her, and she wondered why the hell she just walked away from everything she had always dreamed of.


	11. Chapter 11

**I wanted to say a quick thanks to all the guest reviews I've gotten the last couple of days! I'm thinking they're all by the same person, but either way, I love reading your guys' feedback and it definitely encourages me to continue writing this story.**

 **Not a lot of Rose/Morgana interactions in this chapter, but quite a bit of Gwen, and the formal introduction of Merlin! (Poor Merlin, coming in so late... Oh, well.)**

Rose realized that she had gone full circle. She had gone from avoiding Morgana to being Morgana's friend, perhaps more, and now she was back to the beginning. Well, at least she _tried_ to avoid the noble- it was rather difficult considering the inconvenient fact that she was the woman's servant. Perhaps 'avoid' was the wrong word. Rose didn't run away from her or anything like that- she stayed friendly, but she kept interactions brief and distant, and Gwen had resumed staying later at nights.

Morgana seemed to be doing the same. Smiles and kind words exchanged, but they didn't speak about anything of particular importance, let alone what had happened that night. Rose repeatedly asked herself if she was insane for shooting down Morgana's advances. Morgana Pendragon _kissed_ her, and Rose had practically ran away with her tail between her legs. She'd been fawning over the woman for _ages_ now, and just when her wildest dreams had begun to come true, she had halted it because it was "the right thing to do". It certainly didn't _feel_ like the right thing to do.

Still, Rose kept from questioning herself too thoroughly, not wanting to change her mind. No matter how insane it may be to reject Morgana Pendragon, the apparent love of her life, Rose knew that what she had done had made at least a semblance of sense. This way, there were no risks being taken, no way for either of them to get themselves in trouble (and in her case, possibly killed). It was safer, it was easier, and although that wasn't exactly good enough for her, Rose had managed to convince herself that it was the best choice. She had a tendency to ignore her problems, and her parents had always discouraged this, but old habits die hard.

Even though she _was_ at least partially ignoring her internal struggle, Morgana was still all that was on her mind. Rose simply couldn't help it- she'd long since abandoned any hope of trying to get her mind off of the dark-haired noble. She wondered what Morgana was doing, she wondered what Morgana was thinking, she wondered what Morgana was feeling. _Morgana, Morgana, Morgana_ , her mind chanted, which was especially inconvenient considering everything that had been happening recently. It was quite difficult, thinking about her without beginning to think about what had transpired between them the other night. Rose tried to occupy herself otherwise by throwing herself into her chores, but Gwen was unfortunately no help in that area. Every time the fellow maid mentioned the Lady Morgana, Rose would flinch, and one day after Gwen mentioned the woman's name three times in one sentence, Rose snapped.

"Can we please not talk about Lady Morgana?" she begged, the words flowing from her tongue before she could stop herself. Immediately realizing her mistake, Rose's eyes shot open wide. "I'm sorry, Gwen, that was rude of me. I'm just... over-tired," she lied, releasing a sigh and shaking her head slightly. _Don't take out your frustration on poor Gwen, she didn't do anything!_ she scolded herself, ashamed for snapping at Gwen like that.

Gwen's eyebrows were raised in surprise, and she was silent for a few heartbeats before she spoke. "I've noticed that you've distanced yourself from her these last couple of days. Did something happen?" Her voice was soft and worried, which made Rose feel even worse. _You're too damn nice, Gwen, that's your problem. Sweet as honey, and I can't lie to honey! ...Okay, that made exactly_ no _sense, even to me._

A 'no' was dancing on her lips, ready to be delivered, but staring into Gwen's face brought the truth to the surface. "We kissed," Rose blurted out, and immediately slapped her hand to her face. _H_ _ow big of an idiot can Rose be?! The answer will surprise you. Just kidding, you won't be surprised, because it's pretty obvious how big of an idiot she is!_ Groaning into her hand, Rose peeked through her fingers to gauge Gwen's reaction.

The dark-skinned maid gaped at Rose, but she was relieved when she saw only shock on Gwen's face and not disgust or anger. "You and Lady Morgana kissed?" she repeatedly, slowly, as if she wasn't sure she had heard it right. "I didn't even know that Morgana- well, that she liked-"

Rose chuckled awkwardly at Gwen's words and shrugged helplessly. "Neither did I, honestly. Maybe it's just me." _Funny joke, Rosie._

Gwen smiled slightly before the confused expression reappeared on her face. "Okay, so you two kissed. It was rather obvious that you were attracted to her, if I do say so, with all of your gawking and blushing, but I'm still confused. You two kissing, shouldn't that have been a good thing since you like her so much?" Rose nodded sadly. "Why are you upset and avoiding her, then?"

Rose sighed and shook her head. "That's the complicated part. See, um... Here's the thing, Gwen. I've loved Morgana for years now, I honestly have, and that's great in _theory_ , but the reality is that she's a noble and I'm a servant. Nothing should ever happen! No matter how much I want it to, you know? She's going to marry some nobleman or prince, maybe even Prince Arthur, and that's how things should be. I can't mess with these things, I just can't, and besides, imagine if we were caught. I'd be strung up, o-or burned, or have my head chopped off! Morgana will get in trouble too, and I can't bear it, you know? I just- if something were to- I don't know, it's just not meant to be and that's that. I have to get over it, get it out of my head, and I'm truly sorry for snapping at you, but I've been a little tense since then. I'm trying to get my mind off her, but that's proving exceedingly difficult." She released a nervous laugh and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, glancing up at Gwen.

The maid was looking at her like she had five heads. "Rose!" Gwen exclaimed, gently slapping the woman's arm. "I believe that love is love. It doesn't matter that she's a noble and you're a servant, it doesn't. All that matters is what you two feel, and that's it. So maybe you get caught, maybe you get in trouble, but wouldn't it be worth it if you spent even a short amount of time together instead of all that time apart, denying your feelings? I'd like to think so, anyway." Gwen shrugged and continued to fold clothes.

Rose stared at Gwen for a few long moments before she murmured, "You're probably right, Gwen. Thank you. I just... I'm not sure about it. I'll have to see how things go the next couple of days, at least try to figure out what I'm going to say to Morgana." Gwen nodded her head and told her that was most likely a good idea, and told her to think about what she had said. And Rose did. She thought long and hard about Gwen's words, and the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She didn't want to be miserable, admiring Morgana from a distance and that's it when she could actually be with the woman. _That_ didn't make any sense.

Now she only had to figure out what to say to Morgana to make it up to her. She had to find a way to explain what had been going on in her head- explain that she had strong feelings for Morgana, but she had been unsure and insecure and foolish. _Yeah, that sounds good, that sounds like it'll work. Really emphasize the 'foolish' part._ All she had to do now was summon the courage to approach the woman- well, approaching Morgana was one thing, but trying to explain herself was another. She just had keep her wit about her, that's all. She made it sound a lot easier than it actually was, since keeping her wit about her wasn't exactly her strong point.

The next morning on her way to Morgana's chambers, Rose repeated to herself over and over the speech she was going to deliver. _I'm so, so sorry, Morgana, I was being stupid and insecure and doubting myself. I've wanted nothing more than to kiss you and get close to you, but then when that happened, I panicked and ran away like a scared little girl. I regret that so much, and I hope that you'll be kind enough to give me a second chance._ It sounded beautiful, romantic, apologetic- perfection! Rose prayed that Morgana believed her words and took mercy on her.

Rose briefly knocked on the door and waited for Morgana's "Come in!" before she stepped inside. Closing the door behind her, Rose turned and opened her mouth to launch into her well-rehearsed speech. The words escaped her, however, as she saw Morgana dressed in her riding clothes, Gwen noticeably absent. "Are you going riding, milady? This early?" Rose asked, slightly confused as she peeked inside the adjoining room to look for Gwen. The servant wasn't there either, and Rose wondered where she was. She thought to ask, but before she could, Morgana responded to her earlier question.

"Yes, Arthur invited me to go out riding for the day and for a picnic. We figured we'd get an early start," Morgana replied, glancing at Rose through the mirror. Rose nodded slightly, disappointed but relieved as well. _Well, maybe the speech can wait. Don't want to keep the prince waiting for her, that'd be rude._

Convincing herself that now wasn't the right time for her to spill her innermost feelings, Rose murmured, "Well, I hope your ride is enjoyable. Do you know where Gwen is? She's usually here by now, this is the time she usually brushes your hair and everything. Well, you'd know that, of course, not sure why I just said that." Shaking her head and mentally scoffing at herself, Rose occupied herself by prodding at the new vase that had been placed on Morgana's small table.

"In the stable, getting the horses ready," Morgana said. Rose looked over her shoulder and frowned slightly- the noble obviously saw Rose's confused look, and explained, "She wanted to get her own horse ready, and figured she'd get the rest as well."

Realization hitting her, Rose wasn't sure whether to feel hurt or relieved that Gwen was invited instead of herself. "Oh, that's nice," she said, hoping that her slight disappointment didn't bleed into her voice. "The rest, though? Is someone else going?" she asked casually, shrugging a simple shoulder as if showing her innocent curiosity. Rose liked to think that she was getting better at it, though that was just the power of positive thinking at work.

Morgana's lips quirked slightly and she said (in a voice _much_ more casual than Rose's was, _of course_ ), "Yes, actually." She paused for a moment, perhaps for dramatic affect, before she continued. "There's myself. Arthur. Gwen. Arthur's manservant, a boy named Merlin, I believe. And then yourself."

Rose snapped around and stared at Morgana in surprise. "I'm sorry?" she said stupidly, and Morgana rolled her eyes.

"Well, I've heard that Merlin has a bit of a crush on our Gwen, and I believe that she returns the boy's affections. I figured that you could help her out a bit, since you seem to be an expert on matters of the heart." Morgana's voice was unreadable, if perhaps a little accusatory, and Rose couldn't help but flinch. That was the first time either had mentioned that night and what had transpired, and Rose was reminded just how hurt Morgana had most likely been. Seeing Rose's obvious discomfort, Morgana released a narrow sigh and flashed her a brief, apologetic smile before she spoke again. "I'm just kidding, Rose. Well, I do believe that those two do indeed have feelings for one another, but that wasn't the reason why you were invited. I just figured that if Gwen was going, and Merlin was going, you should come as well. You deserve a break from your chores anyway, you've been working awfully hard."

Rose honestly had half a mind to insist that she shouldn't go, that she had very important work to do, but she knew that Morgana wouldn't take no for an answer. So, experiencing serious déjà vu, Rose bit her lip and released a sigh. "Yeah, sure, it'll be... so much fun." She hoped she sounding convincing, but by the way Morgana was looking at her, she knew that her voice wasn't very convincing at all. _Horses, Morgana, people who I've never spoken to... What could go wrong, right? ...I probably just jinxed myself, didn't I? Sigh._

Morgana nodded slightly and offered her a smile, saying with a roll of her eyes, "Well, I'm glad that I didn't have to order you to come. That wouldn't have been very enjoyable for either of us, would it?" Rose released an awkward _'heh'_ as a means of response before the noble swept out of room, gesturing briefly for her servant to follow. The two women walked in silence to the stables, Rose opening her mouth to speak half a dozen times but failing to generate anything relevant to say.

When they got to the stables, Gwen and Arthur were there, exchanging in slightly awkward conversation before they spotted the two approaching women. Gwen smiled at Morgana briefly before hurrying over to Rose. Nodding her head towards the noblewoman, Gwen prompted in a hushed voice, "Did you think about it? Did you talk to her?" Rose laughed nervously and shook her head almost apologetically.

"I... Well, I was going to this morning, I swear, but then she said we were all going out riding, and I figured this morning wasn't the best time." At Gwen's disapproving look, Rose added desperately, "But I will, I'll talk to her about it, I really will! I was going to, I was all ready and everything, but it didn't..." Rose gestured wildly with her hands. "It just didn't feel right, you know? It was like the universe didn't want me to talk to her about it this morning. I don't know, it was weird, thought I heard a voice in my head or something..."

Gwen smacked Rose's arm gently again and rolled her eyes with a small smile on her lips. "Whatever you say, Rose, but you can't avoid it. This conversation is going to happen whether you like it or not, and you might like it even less if you just ignore the problem."

"Stop being so wise, Gwen," Rose grumbled, shooting her friend a grin. Gwen automatically returned it, and the two serving maids walked over to the horses to join Prince Arthur and Lady Morgana. Spotting the horse Millicent waiting for her, Rose walked over, hesitantly patting the horse's snout. "Ah, hello, Millicent my old friend," Rose said in a mockingly nostalgic voice, peeking over at Morgana who had already mounted her white stallion. With a soft sigh, Rose murmured in the horse's ear, "Let's hope that this whole picnic thing goes swimmingly, hmm?" The horse snorted as if to say, _"Good luck with that."_ Or maybe it was saying, _"I'm a horse. Stop talking to me."_ Rose was admittedly not fluent in horse-language, after all.

Rose mounted Millicent with the help of that same stable boy, who shot her another grin that made her feel uncomfortable. She quietly thanked him, awkwardly avoiding eye contact and instead locking gazes with Morgana. The woman raised an eyebrow at her and teased, "You'll be alright by yourself, Rose?" The blonde blushed and mumbled a yes, remembering the last time they had gone riding and how close she had been with Morgana. Part of her wanted to repeat that experience, but she figured it'd be awkward considering their current situation.

Rose faintly heard Morgana chuckle before she clucked her tongue to make her horse move. Doing the same, Rose followed the small group into the courtyard.

"Hey, wait for me!" Turning to head to search for the source of the voice, Rose's eyes fell on a gangly-looking young man in a blue shirt and red neckerchief with particularly large ears and hair the same color as Morgana's. "You weren't planning on leaving without me, sire, were you?" He shot a large grin at Prince Arthur who rolled his eyes.

"Yes, _Mer_ lin, that was indeed the plan," the prince said, irritated. "Hurry up already, I'd like to leave before the sun sets." Merlin grinned, clearly unfazed by Arthur's words, and rushed off to grab a horse.

Once the servant returned, they set off on their picnic, the two nobles taking the front and their servants in the back. Merlin and Gwen fell into easy conversation leaving Rose awkwardly trailing behind. Glancing behind her and obviously spotting Rose's look of distress, Gwen slowed her horse down to walk beside her, and Merlin soon did the same on her other side.

"I'm sorry, I don't think we've ever met- my name's Merlin," the dark-haired servant said with a friendly smile, outstretching his hand for her to shake. "I'm Prince Prat- I mean, Prince Arthur's servant," he teased, nodding towards Arthur in front who yelled, _"I heard that!_ "

Rose laughed and shook his hand, replying, "Oh, um, very nice to meet you. I'm Rose- Lady Morgana's servant, um, obviously." Glancing at Merlin's smile and then at Gwen's, Rose felt a tad mischievous and said, "I've heard a lot about you, from Gwen. She speaks quite often about you, actually." Merlin's eyes widened slightly and he looked at Gwen, who appeared absolutely scandalized.

"I do _not_ ," she whisper-shouted, glancing desperately between everyone before her eyes fell on Merlin whose grin had widened slightly. "I don't talk about you _that_ much, I honestly don't!"

Merlin laughed and shook his head, his cheeks tinged pink as he assured her, "No, um, it's alright."

Rose smiled innocently at Gwen before her eyes fell on Morgana, who met her gaze and grinned almost proudly. The noble nodded her head slightly to show her approval before turning back around in her saddle. A small smile itching at her lips, Rose followed, listening to Gwen and Merlin's chatter but not really paying attention to what they were saying.


	12. Chapter 12

**To the anon that asked if this story will follow the plot of the series: unfortunately, I can't say much without revealing what I have planned, but I will say that in some ways it will and in some ways it won't. Sorry, I know that's so vague, but I don't want to spoil anything for you guys ;) I'm guessing that there's 4-6 chapters left, so there will be 16-18 chapters in total. Maybe more, I'm not 100% positive yet.**

 **Anyway, enjoy~**

The summer sun beat down from above, the light filtering through the tree branches and providing the group of five at least some semblance of shade. Even in her light-colored, thin dress Rose felt like she was being fried- looking over at the two nobles riding ahead of her in their thick, dark, long-sleeved clothing, Rose couldn't imagine how they hadn't melted already. Well, perhaps she was over-exaggerating (as she tended to do), but it was still quite hot out, and she hoped that they'd find a good spot for their 'picnic' already. She still found it a little odd that the two noble's servants had been invited to their picnic, but she wasn't going to complain- it was an excuse to take a break from chores and to spend time with Gwen and even Merlin, who she had found was quite friendly and kind.

There were occasional periods of silence in which the group admired the nature around them, but for the most part they chatted among themselves. Light banter between Arthur and Morgana; Gwen and Morgana chatting; Arthur yelling at Merlin for something and Merlin joking back at him; Rose stayed quiet for the most part, preferring to listen instead of engage in conversation herself. Gwen and Merlin conversed with her every now and then, and Arthur asked her to smack Merlin once, but Morgana was almost disappointingly silent. She'd often glance back and lock gazes with Rose, but no words were exchanged, and the servant was going insane with frustration and anxiousness.

 _She must hate me,_ Rose thought miserably more than once. _Of course she does- you spent all that time practically drooling over her, and then when she tries to take the initiative that you were too afraid to, you shoot her down. I doubt that Morgana Pendragon is used to being rejected about, well, anything, really._ It wasn't like Morgana's face betrayed any kind of anger or annoyance, but Rose couldn't stop herself from over-analyzing every single thing that Morgana did. _That look- right there! Her lip twitched- oh, god, she's_ so _mad._ Little, insignificant actions like that equaled the end of the world in Rose's book.

The next time that Morgana glanced back, Rose was in the process of wiping sweat from her brow with her sleeve, and Morgana's lips actually _did_ tug downward briefly. Just as Rose had begun to internally lament, she heard the dark-haired woman voice call out to the prince. "Why not set up here, Arthur?" Looking over, Rose noticed that they were currently passing a small stream. She looked over at Morgana with a small frown, wondering why she'd asked to stop here.

Arthur scoffed and Rose could hear the roll of his eyes in his voice as he said, "I _had_ a particular place I wanted to set up, Morgana, but if you're getting tired..." It was an open taunt, one that he knew would get a reaction from his adopted sister, and Rose waited for the woman to snap back at him.

Instead, Morgana twisted her neck slightly and met Rose's gaze for a heartbeat before she turned back around. "I just think this is a good place as any, _that's_ all," Morgana growled back through a clenched jaw, and her servant was stunned that the woman hadn't given into Arthur's taunts. "It's quite hot out, if you haven't noticed, and I'm sure we would all appreciate cooling down with a splash of water." Rose realized with a jolt why Morgana had made the suggestion, and why she had frowned when she saw Rose wiping away sweat. She opened her mouth to insist that she was fine, but the King's ward had already stopped her horse and dismounted.

The rest of the group slid off their own horses and tied them off to trees. Not sure whether she should thank Morgana, get annoyed with her, or have "the talk" with her, Rose awkwardly walked over to where the woman was submerging her waterskin in the stream to fill it. "You didn't have to do that," she said softly, shifting uncomfortably on her feet, "but... Thanks, I guess."

Morgana's head lifted upward to face her and, her expression unreadable, she said, "I'm not sure what you're talking about." The woman raised herself to her feet and brushed off the dirt from her riding clothes. Rose frowned slightly, wondering if she had come to a false conclusion- deciding that that must be it, she felt stupid for over-thinking everything.

"Oh, er- nevermind, then, I guess. Sorry," Rose mumbled. Morgana shrugged her shoulders dismissively in response, and Rose knelt by the stream. Her fingertips brushing the water, she was pleasantly surprised at the freezing temperature, and cupped her hands to allow them to fill with the clear liquid. Splashing water over her face, Rose couldn't help but smile even as the water dripped down her face and got the front of her dress wet. She brought her hands together again to bring water to her lips, but before she could, Morgana's waterskin was dangling in front of her eyes.

"Here, drink from mine. It's much easier than using your hands." Rose felt the a weight lift from her heart when she detected the teasing tone in Morgana's voice. _Okay, maybe she's not_ completely _mad at me. Then again, that might be wishful thinking..._

Rose shot her a brief smile before she took the pouch, obediently taking a sip if only because Morgana wanted her to. Wiping her lips, she handed it back to Morgana and stood to face her. The blonde servant's mouth opened and closed as she tried to summon the courage to say what she wanted to say, to launch into that whole speech about how _sorry_ she was and how _stupid_ she was, et cetera. The noblewoman obviously realized that Rose was trying to speak, because she stayed frustratingly silent. She instead stared into Rose's face, which actually proved rather unnerving when one was trying to focus. The moment was interrupted, however, by the prince's voice, yelling for them to hurry up with the water and join them.

 _Damn,_ Rose thought to herself, though inwardly she wasn't all that disappointed. Sure, she couldn't avoid the conversation forever, but what was the harm in pushing it back a little bit? Besides, if it ended badly, she didn't want to ruin the picnic for everyone else with their tenseness. That'd be absolutely _dreadful_ , and totally inconsiderate, wouldn't it? Rose prided herself on being especially considerate, so it just wouldn't do for her to make this whole afternoon all about her. _(Well, that wasn't very convincing, now was it?) Shhhhhh._

Morgana walked over to the rest of group, Rose trailing behind her. Merlin was in the process of spreading out a large piece of cloth, Gwen pulling out the basket of food, and Rose felt like she should be helping so she assisted Merlin with the picnic blanket. After everything was laid out, the three servants made to retreat slightly to give their masters privacy when Rose's eyes spotted the prince's gleaming sword stuck into the ground. Halting her steps, she stared at the polished weapon in awed appreciation, murmuring, "Wow."

The King's ward obviously saw how Rose had stopped and was staring at Arthur's weapon, because she looked over and frowned slightly. "What?" she asked, her voice betraying her curiosity. Once she had spoken, all eyes were on Rose, and the blonde maid was broken out of her transfixed state.

"Oh," she mumbled, blushing slightly out of embarrassment. Shaking her head, she said dismissively, "No, i-it's nothing, it's kind of stupid, really." Morgana's eyebrows raised, silently prompting her to go on, and Rose reluctantly gave in. "It's just-" She sighed almost fondly, a smile dancing at her lips, before continuing. "Well, like I said, it's stupid, but... My younger sister and I always used to dream about being knights. I know it's foolish and unseemly for girls to dream about such a thing- usually women want to be married to knights, they don't want to actually _be_ one. But, well... When I was eleven, I think, a large group of knights and Prince Arthur came to my village. Well, they were just passing through, really, but they stayed a few nights, and my sister and I loved it. We watched them spar with each other and sharpen their swords, and it was just amazing for us. We'd played with wooden ones that our father had crafted for us, because he always said do whatever makes you happy, but we hadn't ever seen real swords before. We both still talk about it all the time. Actually, my sister's kind of obsessed with you," Rose chuckled, flashing Arthur an awkward smile. She shook her head again and shrugged her shoulders. "Since then, I've held a sort of... deep appreciation for swords, I guess." Feeling self-conscious with everyone staring at her, she added, "I told you it was stupid."

When she dared to look over, Rose was stunned to see a small smile on Morgana's face. "It's not stupid. When I was younger I dreamed of being a knight as well. My father was one and taught me how to sword-fight when I was a young girl- when I came to Camelot, I was already beating him," Morgana said, nodding to Arthur who scoffed.

"You can't beat me! I've always _let_ you win," he insisted, Morgana just rolling her eyes and smirking in response.

The King's ward paused for a second before offering, "I can teach you how, if you want. It's not extraordinarily difficult, and didn't you once say that my sword-fighting skills were at least mildly impressive?" Her dark brow arched and Rose felt her mouth go dry.

"W-well, yeah, but t-that's really not necessary," she stammered, but Morgana was already rising to her feet and walking over towards Arthur's sword. "Wait, _now_?!"

Morgana grinned as she tugged the sword from the ground, lazily swinging it in a circle by her side. "Why not?" she teased, extracting another sword from the sheathe attached to her saddle. Rose couldn't really argue with that kind of logic.

"I thought we were going to be having a picnic!" Arthur complained, looking forlornly at the plates of food spread out enticingly on the blanket.

Morgana rolled her eyes and said dismissively, "Just eat without me."

"Though, then again, missing a meal wouldn't exactly be the end of the world for you, sire," Merlin added cheekily, turning his head slightly so the prince couldn't see his large grin.

Arthur's face clearly showed his outrage as he glared at his servant. "Are you calling me _fat_?" he shouted indignantly, and his four companions tried to suppress their laughter at the absolutely scandalized look on the noble's face.

"Of course not, sire, I simply wouldn't _dare_ ," Merlin replied in a mockingly offended voice. Arthur scowled and grabbed one of the chunks of bread in the basket, chucking it at Merlin's head. The manservant ducked just in time for the bread to sailing over his head. "Well, that wasn't very nice," Merlin scoffed, flinching when Arthur raised another chunk threateningly.

Morgana wore an amused smirk and teased her adopted brother, "If you're not going to eat, you can at least help me demonstrate. The exercise might do you some good." Arthur glared at her, his expression exasperated, but with a grumble raised himself to his feet. _Even the prince can't help but give her what she wants! No one can say no to her, I swear to goodness..._ With a self-satisfied look at her success, Morgana tossed the blonde-haired man his sword. Arthur caught it easily, swinging the weapon in a tight arc from side-to-side with a consistent _whoosh_ sound.

"After that comment about you _beating_ me, I'm not going to take it easy on you," he warned.

The King's ward rolled her eyes and shot back, "I wouldn't have it any other way." Turning back to Rose, Morgana shot her a brief smile before explaining, "I'll just demonstrate the basics, and then you can try it yourself." Rose nodded obediently, her eyes wide and her cheeks beginning to redden as she prepared herself for seeing Morgana Pendragon fighting. With a sword. With graceful movements. With her hair flying everywhere. With probably a lot of sweating. _Snap out of it! You have to pay attention, you can't just ogle her, for goodness's sake!_ Rose scolded herself, shaking her head slightly to clear her thoughts.

In one fluid movement, Morgana was striking out with her sword- metal clanged on metal as Arthur's weapon met hers. He stepped back, his eyes wide in surprise- he obviously didn't expect so sudden and vicious an attack. The next second she was swinging again from the left, and sure enough, Rose found herself completely entranced, her whole body feeling hot. There was just something about the way Morgana moved whilst sword-fighting that made Rose's insides turn to jelly. The servant was fairly convinced that this was the most beautiful she had ever seen the Lady Morgana, and she recalled with a fond smile the first time she had both seen Morgana sword-fight and the first time she had seen the woman, period.

It wasn't until she heard the noble's voice that Rose snapped out of her trance. "What?" she said stupidly, blinking rapidly and her face turning bright red. "D-Did you- um-" There was a bead of sweat above Morgana's brow, and Rose thanked God repeatedly for the sweltering heat. Now completely incapable of coherent speech or thought, Rose settled on falling silent, blushing furiously, and staring back at the emerald eyes boring into her. She felt three other pairs of eyes on her as well, and though she urged herself to say something and _for the love of God, stop blushing like that_ , she couldn't formulate any words.

Confusion and slight irritation was painted across Morgana's features until realization passed over her face. Understanding why exactly Rose looked so flustered, the noblewoman chuckled, surprising the rest of her friends including Rose. _Oh, great, she's laughing at me,_ the servant thought miserably until she realized that Morgana's smile was affectionate. The dark-haired woman took Arthur's sword from him and offered her own to Rose, her eyebrows raised. "I trust you'll be able to practice with me without collapsing? Or should I fight with my back turned so you can't stare at me and get distracted?" Morgana teased, another laugh escaping her lips when Rose glanced frantically behind them at Gwen, who was rolling her eyes but smiling, and Merlin and Arthur who looked absolutely lost.

"M-Milady," Rose stammered, looking between the heavy weapon in her hands and Morgana, a smile on the woman's red lips. Uncertainly, Rose adjusted her grip on the hilt of the sword until it was comfortable in her hand. Glancing over at the King's ward for reassurance that she was doing it right, Morgana nodded and Rose's confidence grew slightly. _You can do this. You used to kind of be good with a wooden one- this one is just a lot heavier and much, much more deadly! Easy._ Not surprisingly, she wasn't very reassured. "Focus," she mumbled to herself, hefting the sword upward to face Morgana with two hands now wrapped around the hilt.

"Good," Lady Morgana said, nodding her head. "Now, come at me." She lifted Arthur's sword in front of her body, and with her free hand, gestured for Rose to attack.

Swallowing nervously, Rose hesitantly swung the sword in a wide arc to the right- as soon as the metal hit Morgana's own sword, a loud _clang_ rang out. Morgana used her sword to push back Rose's, and nodded for her to go again. Rose swung again, this time from the left, the noble once again parrying the weapon with her own. This continued for a while- Rose swinging and thrusting, Morgana mirroring the movement to deflect the attack with the occasional compliment or criticism. Her actions were quick and forceful, so in a matter of minutes, Rose's heart was pounding in her chest and she was drenched with sweat. When the two women pulled apart from their sword-fighting practice, Rose was grinning in triumph- she couldn't believe she had actually just used a real sword, fighting with the King's ward. Thea, her little sister, would be _so_ jealous. Rose glanced over at Morgana and froze. Seeing the woman's raven hair coming out of the pins that had kept it up, seeing the way the sword was casually held in her hand like it was meant to be there...

Well, at that moment, Rose couldn't think of one good reason why she shouldn't be with Morgana, and, still on an adrenaline high, she shot out in one breath, "Iloveyou." Silence, absolute silence that made Rose realize what, exactly, she had just done- in front of the _prince_ of all people!

"I'm- water- fetch- drink-" Rose stuttered, horrified, hastily averting her eyes and scrambling to the stream with her cheeks on fire. She just heard Morgana murmuring something to Gwen, and then the noble was joining her at the water. Rose splashed the cool liquid over her face for the second time that afternoon, rubbing the water across her skin to wash away the sweat and complete embarrassment. _You're absolutely dead._ She glanced over at Morgana's hands, dunking her waterskin into the stream to fill it with cold water, and then at her once again offering Rose her pouch. The servant mumbled her thanks and took a long drink, feeling her body cool off thanks to the freezing stream water.

Eventually Morgana breaks the silence, as Rose knew she would. "You always say that you wouldn't let anything happen to me. I realize that you're scared, Rose, but don't you think I would protect you as well?" Her pale fingers tangled themselves with Rose's, and the blonde servant realized that this was the time to profess everything. To say what she had planned, about how she must have lost her mind, about how she let her fears and insecurities control her.

It was the perfect little speech, but when Rose had gathered the nerve, she realized that Morgana was closer than she had thought before. Her hazel eyes dropping to Morgana's lips, the words she had planned to speak melted away. Maybe she was still riding out her adrenaline high, maybe she was being brave for once in her life, or maybe she was just being a coward by not delivering the words Morgana deserved to hear. Either way, Rose was working on instinct, and that instinct told her that needed to kiss Morgana Pendragon _right now_. When her mouth slid against Morgana's smoothly, and she felt the woman's hands on her face, bringing her closer, Rose commended herself on her fantastic decision-making skills.

After a few seconds, Rose pulled away and murmured breathlessly, "I'm sorry." Rose felt rather than saw Morgana's frown, and when the noble began to pull away, Rose clambered to elaborate, "About being scared. Gwen told me, um, she said that it was better to spend even a short time together rather than denying our feelings for each other, and that really... I agree with it. I'm sorry that I didn't realize this before, is what I'm trying to, um- say."

Morgana had pulled back enough that Rose could now see how the noble's lips twisted into a smile. Rose awaited a response, hoping that Morgana forgave her- but, then again, judging by that kiss and the look on Morgana's face, she could tell that the woman had. "Does that mean that I should kiss Gwen, then?" the King's ward teased mischievously. At the look that Rose shot her, Morgana laughed and kissed her again.

"I'm sorry to break this up, but can someone _please_ explain to me what the hell is going on?" Arthur's voice rang out, and Rose froze.

 _Woopsies._


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry it took me so long to update, guys- I started up school again and have been busy with that and homework. Yuck. Oh, well, I should be able to start updating fairly regularly again, though it unfortunately may take longer than it used to. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy this chapter, though I didn't edit it much in order to get it out to you guys faster :)  
**

* * *

Rose's first thoughts were nonstop expletives screamed within her brain as her mind went into complete panic mode. _What a fan-fucking-tastic idea, Rose, kissing MORGANA PENDRAGON in front of the prince! Why don't you just snog her in front of the king, huh? Think that would be fun?_ she screamed mentally at herself. Despite her vicious inward thoughts, Rose found herself incapable of words, which honestly wasn't all that surprising. Whenever it seemed like she _should_ say something, it was as if the words absolutely refused to form on her lips. Lucky for her, Morgana seemed to have a much better relationship with the English language.

"What do you _think_ is going on?" The noble scoffed, rolling her eyes dramatically at her adopted brother. "I saw a bug on her mouth and decided to crush it with my lips," she said dryly, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Rose wasn't sure whether to thank Morgana or be mad at her. Thank her for speaking when Rose obviously couldn't, or be mad at her for further provoking the prince? Then again, it wasn't like the servant could speak either way. Her throat was closing up and she felt tears prick in her eyes, if only because she felt utterly useless. _Defend yourself!_ she urged herself fiercely, _If you're going to be with Morgana, you can't constantly be terrified anymore!_ "Um," she forced out, and once four pairs of eyes had snapped onto her, it was as if her vocal cords had been cut. Then a cool hand squeezed hers, and Rose's eyes met Morgana's, and the words bubbled up before she could even think to stop them. "Well, um, see- I, well- we- I think we? Um, well, I just- really- I really just- I don't want to-" Her eyes fluttered closed and she took a deep breath before managing, "I have, um, I have feelings for Morgana, and- I think- I think she returns them. That's, um, what's going... on..."

Rose didn't stop to congratulate herself, since that whole thing was honestly rather pathetic, but she gave herself a mental, stoic pat on the back. She looked back at Morgana, whose lips were quirked upward slightly, and Rose honestly wanted to kiss the noble again, but she knew that that would _not_ be a very good decision. So instead, the blonde servant looked over at the prince, anxiously awaiting a response or reaction and praying that he didn't freak out and behead her or something like that. Her hands instinctively lifted to protect her throat at the thought. _Gross._

However, Prince Arthur didn't seem to be angry, or like he was going to indeed behead Rose- in fact, he looked more shocked than anything, and also a tad... disappointed? "Well," he finally said, cutting the silence between them like a knife. "I'm not quite sure what to say to that." His eyes fell on Morgana and he frowned deeply, almost like an pouting child. "We've known each other since we were small, Morgana. I always thought that, well, everyone always thought that..." He trailed off and shrugged his shoulders, and it was Rose's turn to feel lost. Her eyes turned to Morgana in a silent question.

The King's ward obviously understood what Arthur was saying, as a light chuckle escaped her mouth and her eyebrows arched. "You know that I never do as I'm expected to, Arthur," she teased. _Stop being so cryptic and explain what's happening!_ Rose pleaded, but Morgana apparently didn't pick up the servant's mental messages.

The prince laughed and rolled his eyes. "No, I suppose you don't," he mused, walking over to his sword that Morgana had left sticking straight from the ground. _Hey, watch it, sword-boy,_ Rose thought warily, eyes following the blade closely as it was tugged from the earth. "Fine," Arthur said eventually. "I won't tell my father of this, Morgana, but you better be careful. You know that he wouldn't take kindly to learning of your relationship with a servant- a female servant, at that. I hope for your sake you know what you're doing." Prince Arthur glanced over at Rose and parted his mouth as if to launch into one of those _'if-you-hurt-her-I'll-kill-you'_ speeches, but then clearly thought better of it and turned around. "Now, if you don't mind, I think I'm going to actually _eat_ the food that was brought."

Morgana turns then, and smiles at her and touches her hands and Rose feels... warm.

* * *

The weeks pass by in what seems like a flash. The warm, fuzzy feeling in Rose's heart didn't dissipate- in fact, if anything, it grew.

When Rose was younger, she'd never honestly imagined herself falling in love. She hadn't exactly _not_ imagined it, but it hadn't been at the forefront of her mind. While the village girls would gush about how they couldn't wait to fall in love and couldn't wait to have a husband, Rose had had other things on her mind. Becoming a knight being one of them, of course. As she grew older, the thought came up more often. _Who will I fall in love with, I wonder? When will I fall in love, I wonder?_ Simple thoughts that she'd think absentmindedly, perhaps to pass the time or to amuse herself with. Everyone always _spoke_ about how wonderful being in love was, but people always _spoke_ about things. Her mother had once described love as being like a fire deep within your chest- little Rose had scoffed at this, of course. _Fire within your chest? That's ridiculous._

And maybe it was ridiculous, and silly, and _cliche_ , but Rose felt like she was burning from within in the best way possible. There were moments of insecurity, when Rose reminded herself that she was a _servant_ and Morgana was a _noble_ and she could get killed for this, but then Morgana would smile at her or kiss her, and Rose would know that there wasn't a damn thing wrong with what they were doing.

Although there were moments of self-doubt, in the same breath, there was something oddly thrilling about knowing how dangerous their relationship was. Morgana was certainly no help with that- she had even less consideration for that sort of thing than Rose did.

Morgana had abandoned her habit of excessive wine-drinking in favor of dragging Rose out into the hall. It started with the King's ward tugging Rose out at the end of the meal. Then, she started to excuse herself halfway through the meal with some imaginary reason, and drag Rose out. And then, she didn't even have to grab the blonde servant, all she had to do was give Rose a look and they'd be out in the nook where they had first kissed, doing exactly that. The maid obviously couldn't complain very much, though in the back of her mind she knew that if anyone caught them, her head would be chopped off faster than she could say "ouch". Those thoughts tended to get thrown out the window when Morgana was around, though.

Rose still possessed some semblance of self-preservation, however. She kept herself from lingering longer than needed in Morgana's chambers at night- she'd realized after that single night of sleeping in Morgana's bed that it was a very, very foolish thing to do. It was just another unnecessary risk. What if Morgana woke up screaming from a nightmare and the guards rushed in only to find the noble's servant in her bed? What if the king decided to visit his ward early in the morning for whatever reason to find them in a compromising position? How would they explain their way out of that? No, no, it was much too dangerous, no matter what she or Morgana thought. A girl could only throw so much caution to the wind after all, correct? So Gwen resumed the job of staying later at night with the noble. Rose felt a considerate amount of guilt about not being able to be the one to comfort Morgana should the woman suffer from nightmares, but she also knew that Morgana was in good hands with Gwen.

Speaking of the maidservant, Gwen was more excited about the new relationship than even Rose was. Okay, well, perhaps not _more_ excited, but a very close level compared to Rose's. Whenever Morgana and Rose so much as _looked_ at each other, Gwen would roll her eyes as if annoyed, if not for the huge smile on her face. (As if sweet-as-honey Gwen could _actually_ be annoyed with anything, ever. It'd have to be something pretty bad.) Rose could practically hear the maid's thoughts, she radiated them so enthusiastically- _"You two are absolutely adorable!"_ Not that Rose was arguing because, hey, they _were_ pretty damn adorable, weren't they? The thought made her giddy.

The noblewoman and maidservant spent as much time together as possible throughout the day without arising any kind of suspicion. (Not that it was really necessary, because the guards of Camelot seemed to have absolutely no interest in putting any kind of effort into their job. Maybe they had realized by now that bad things were gonna happen, so screw it?) They would spend time in the back of the library, reading side by side, or they'd go out riding, where Morgana would teach Rose how to properly ride a horse. Or, perhaps one of Morgana's favorite activities, Rose would watch her sword fight with Arthur- perhaps one of her favorite activities because of how flustered Rose got, obviously. The blonde simply couldn't help it. However, Morgana was certainly quick to remind her that she was still a servant.

"You know, just because we're courting doesn't mean you're no longer my servant," Morgana had teased one morning, smirking at Rose with a dark eyebrow arched. "You wouldn't want to make poor Gwen have to do all the work, would you?"

A wide smile had tugged at Rose's lips and she curtsied elaborately. "Of course not, my lady, I simply wouldn't dream of it. I shall go fetch you the freshest of sheets in all the land- fit for a princess, fit for a _queen_!" They'd shared warm grins and an all-too-brief kiss before Rose had actually gotten back to her work, and Morgana back to whatever she had been doing that day.

Not only had Rose been spending a lot of time with Morgana and Gwen, but also with Merlin. The manservant had become a close friend of Rose as time went on, mostly due to their mutual friendship with Gwen, and the three of them often found themselves conversing in the halls in between chores. She also found herself spending a considerable amount of time with Merlin's master, Arthur, due to Morgana's close relationship with the prince. Though he originally seemed slightly uncomfortable around her, the nobleman soon lightened up considerably, and Rose found she enjoyed his presence as well.

Though Rose had fallen in love with Camelot the moment she stepped into it, now she finally felt like she had a place here. _Well, that isn't cheesy at all, is it?_

* * *

The day started out as any other day typically did. In the morning, she greeted Morgana and Gwen, their meeting unfortunately brief before she had to go off and do chores. Because, as Morgana said, she _was_ still the noble's maid, and someone was bound to notice if she was a servant and didn't do servant-ly things, correct? Oh, who was she kidding, nobody would really notice- everyone in Camelot was completely oblivious. Either way, she felt honor-bound to do work, not that she minded doing it for Morgana anyway.

Rose spent the morning washing clothes in the courtyard on the steps of the castle. The day was a particularly beautiful one, with the sun shining merrily down on courtyard bustling with people. Her hands sore from the scrubbing, she sent the item of clothing down on the step next to her and reveled in the sun's warmth. Her eyes flickering shut and a pleasant smile dancing on her lips, shouting abruptly ripped her from her reverie. Hazel eyes snapping open and her whole body instinctively freezing, Rose soon spotted the source of the commotion. She briefly glanced at a small figure in an emerald cloak rushing across the courtyard before it ducked into a doorway, guards hurrying after the person.

Her face crumpling in a frown, she wondered what in the world was going on. Spotting a maid she was friendly with being questioned by a guard, Rose curiously wandered over once the guard had left. "Hi, Evelyn, um- what exactly is going on? Those guards looked to be in, well, um, a pretty big hurry, I guess." She flashed the girl a slightly awkward smile, considerably more uncomfortable considering the fact that she hadn't spoken to the girl in months.

The red-haired maid shrugged her shoulders and replied, "I'm not positive, the guard jus' asked me if I saw a lil' Druid boy runnin' around." Evelyn paused for a moment before continuing, leaving no room for Rose to interject and say goodbye. Rose suddenly remembered why she hadn't spoken to the girl in months. "I haven't seen you in jus' about forever, girly! I've been awful busy, I have, Lady Elrick's been sick if ya haven't heard. Poor thing, sick as a dog! Gaius, court physician, says she'll live, but I jus' don't know, she's been coughin' an awful lot and I'm just worried outta my mind. That Gaius never struck me as a real physician anyhow, I always thought he a'dabblin' too much is sorcery, ya know? _I_ dunno, but anyhow, I got this nice new necklace the other day..."

Evelyn went on for another 10 minutes like this before Rose finally gathered enough courage to jump in. "I'm so, so sorry, Evelyn, but I really- just- chores, and- such... Um, I'm so sorry, talk to you later, bye!" Before the red-haired maid could argue, Rose scurried away with the basket of damp clothing she had been washing. _I'm such a horrible person_ , Rose sighed inwardly. She knew that Evelyn meant well, but the only thing currently on her mind was making sure that Morgana was okay. Rose knew she probably would be, _of course_ she would be, but that didn't keep her from worrying about it.

Making her way towards Morgana's chambers, the route now like second nature to her, Rose quickly rounded a corner just to run straight into the woman herself. Dropping the basket of clothing and squeaking in surprise, Rose was quickly soothed by the fact that it was Morgana and she was alright. "Oh, goodness, you scared me. I was just going to see if you were alright- apparently there's a Druid boy running around." It was then that Rose realized that perhaps Morgana _wasn't_ alright- the dark-haired woman seemed nervous, her green eyes dashing to and fro. "Is something wrong?" Rose asked nervously, reaching over to touch Morgana's hand.

The skin contact seemed to rip the King's ward out of her thoughts, as she quickly replied, "No, of course not, everything's fine." Rose's eyebrows furrowed. _Well, they didn't even sound_ slightly _convincing._ Morgana obviously saw that Rose wasn't convinced, as she took the maid's hands in her own and gently squeezed them. "Really, Rose, I appreciate your concern of course, but nothing is wrong. I'm just..." The woman paused for a heartbeat before she finished, "I'm simply shaken up about the Druid boy. You know how I feel about those matters, and how my opinion differs from the king's."

Rose instantly felt bad for Morgana and nodded. "Of course. Well, even though I _probably_ should be doing chores, I'm always here if you need to talk," Rose said softly, offering the woman a smile.

Morgana returns the smile and glances around the halls for a moment to check if there were any people or guards. Seeing that the coast was clear, she leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to Rose's lips. "Thank you," she murmured, her brief warm on Rose's face. Pulling her head away, she shook her head once. "That won't be necessary, though. Actually..." Morgana bit her lip briefly before saying, her voice apologetic and slightly guilty, "If you don't mind, could you possibly do one thing for me? Well, the flowers in the vase in my chambers have died, so it would be wonderful if you were to get more."

"They died already? I just got them a few days ago," Rose remarked, surprised.

"Yes, unfortunately. There's actually a specific type I'd like you to get- I'm afraid I don't know the name, but they're bigger, and yellow. They're found a small ways outside of Camelot. Take your time, however, don't feel obliged to rush back, alright?" Morgana spoke in a rush, glancing over Rose's shoulder at the stairs. "I'm sorry, Rose, but I really must go. I have to... I have to pick up something from Gaius."

Confused by why Morgana seemed so hurried, Rose associated it with her being shaken up about the boy, and simply nodded her head. "Of course. Would you like me to pick up whatever it is from Gaius while I'm out?"

Morgana shook her head. "No, that won't be necessary. Thank you!" With one last peck to Rose's lips, Morgana was gone, leaving Rose surprised and confused.

 _That was interesting_ , she mused, but Rose dismissed the thoughts and went off to find the flowers Morgana spoke of. Heading down the stairs and into the courtyard, Rose was prepared to venture into the forest when, in the corner of her eye she spotted bright yellow. Turning to face the source of the color, Rose grinned when she spotted a huge bouquet of yellow flowers being sold by a marketplace vendor that seemed to match Morgana's description perfectly.

The conversation between Rose and the vendor consisted of the man stating a ridiculous price, and Rose agreeing because A) she absolutely _hated_ bartering, B) it wasn't like Morgana couldn't afford it anyway, and C) Rose _really_ didn't want to go searching the forest top-to-bottom all day for flowers that she could easily buy. Though the greedy smile on the man's face as she forked over the coins made Rose feel terrible about herself, she was slightly comforted because she knew that Morgana would love the yellow flowers.

Carrying the bouquet up the stairs and towards Morgana's chambers, Rose hoped that Morgana would be cheered up if only slightly by the flowers. Pushing the door open, Rose made her way over to the center table. She froze in her tracks, however, when she saw that the flowers that Morgana had claimed to have died were still in the vase, completely alive. _What in the world?_ Rose thought, inspecting the flowers for any sign of decay but finding none. _That's odd..._ A weak cough from the back of the room made Rose jump and drop the bouquet of flowers she had just bought. _Okay, now I'm seriously freaked out- what in the world is going on?!_ Moving towards the curtain separating a section of the room, Rose warily reached out a hand and tugged away the cloth.

Her eyes falling on a small boy wrapped in an emerald cloak, fresh bandages wrapped around a wound on his side, Rose felt her heart drop in her chest and a sense of dread settling in her gut.


End file.
